A villager stands in front of his house, which was leveled by the tornado and a hailstorm in Yancheng, Jiangsu province. (Photo: China News Service/Gu Hua)
A State Council work group headed by deputy minister of civil affairs Dou Yupei is en route to Yancheng. The ministry has dispatched relief materials, including more than 1,000 tents and 2,000 folding beds, to the affected areas.
Meteorological records showed Jiangsu Province reported 1,070 tornadoes in the 50 years from 1956 to 2005, averaging 21.4 a year. Most of the tornadoes happened in June, July and August.
A similar disaster hit Yancheng City in March 1966.
Downpours, hailstorms and a tornado battered parts of Yancheng City at 2:30 pm Thursday. (Photo/Weibo)
