Death toll from China tornado rises to 98, relief work underway

The death toll from a series of hurricane-force winds and a tornado in eastern China has soared to nearly 100 as relief efforts are underway at the scene of one of the worst disasters ever to hit the region.

The official Xinhua news agency cited local authorities as saying that so far 98 people have been confirmed dead and about 800 injured in eastern Jiangsu Province.

Reports say some 200 of the wounded by the tornado, which was accompanied by hailstorms and downpours, are in critical condition. The affected areas are densely-populated, with authorities saying the death toll is expected to rise.

This came after winds of up to 125 kilometers per hour razed houses to the ground and brought down power and communication lines in Yancheng City and elsewhere in the province.

A factory worker with head and arm injuries said he had been swept out of his workplace by the powerful tornado.

“It all happened so fast. I have never seen anything like this before in my life,” he said. “I thought for sure I was going to die. I can’t believe I am still alive.”

Emergency personnel have mounted a massive relief operation after President Xi Jinping ordered “all-out rescue efforts” across the worst-hit region.

Sources say bulldozers dug up rubble while rescue workers dug through debris for survivors.

More than 1,300 police officers were also deployed to the affected areas to help the rescue operations.

Many parts of China have seen weeks of torrential rain and storms this week.

Nearly two dozen people died and 20 went missing in severe floods in the south of the country earlier this week.

Senior Chinese officials had issued a warning about the potential for the high record of floods this year due to a strong El Nino weather pattern.

El Nino raises sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific and is linked to serious crop damage, forest fires, flash floods and drought around the world.

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