"Strong gales sent me off the bike," he told Xinhua. "Fortunately, I had my helmet on."
Yan was thrown on the road and his bike plunged into a roadside ditch. "I never had such terrible experience in my life. The gales were like monsters ready to eat me alive."
Too scared to move, Yan lay still on his stomach until the winds wore off. When he walked home, he found the second floor of the house was gone. "Luckily, no one was inside: my wife was working in the cropland and our grandchildren were all at school."
The family were resettled in an inn with many other homeless people in town.
Hundreds of the townspeople were landed in hospital with injuries.
Xie Sufang, 67, suffered fractures in her backbone after she was pulled out of the rubble of her house. Her husband, who was badly injured on the head, had died when rescuers found him.
"I have no family or home here," sobbed Xie at Funing County Hospital. "I might move to my son's place in Shanghai."
Jiqiao Village Nursery in Chenliang Township is a mess of broken desks and chairs after Thursday's holocaust. Traces of blood are seen here and there.
When the hailstorm swept the school building, the teachers told the children to crouch under their desks. The headmistress, 63-year-old Guo Haimei, leaned against the door to prevent it from being blown off.
Of the 120 children who were at school, seven suffered injuries, mostly from broken window panes, she said. "We did our best."
ALL-OUT RESCUE
At least 450 people have been hospitalized at Funing County Hospital with injuries, said Zuo Xuebiao, the hospital's vice president.
Most of the patients suffered fractures or wounds on the head, and medical workers were working around the clock to ensure timely treatment, he said.
Many citizens have lent a helping hand, offering free chauffeur services, donating blood, or delivering food and water.
Jing Rongrong, a nurse from the neighboring Sihong County unaffected by the storm, joined a team of volunteers Friday morning and provided first-aid for at least 30 injured residents of Xintu village in Funing.
Anxious to find her mother in a worst-hit town in Funing, Qi Longying posted a message at her Wechat account Thursday night. In about 10 minutes, a friend reached her with news about her mother, who had been sent to hospital with injuries.
"A police officer who sent her to hospital shared a photo of my mom, and my friend happened to spot that photo," said Qi. "At times like this, we feel like members of a big family."
