BEIJING (AP) — Tornadoes and storms hit central China, killing at least 11 people and injuring hundreds, state media reported on Tuesday, while areas in the south suffered record-breaking rain.
Thunderstorms battered parts of Hubei province’s eastern region on Monday night, affecting 14,600 people, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. More than 330 people were injured, and one person remained missing, the agency said, adding that over 20 houses collapsed and 4,800 others were damaged.
A rare EF2 tornado swept through the city of Huanggang, where a logistics company and a warehouse were hit hard and multiple trucks were lifted and displaced by winds as much as 30 meters (98 feet), Xinhua reported.
A video posted by Shanghai Daily on X appeared to show people on the ground floor of a building screaming as high winds blew open the glass doors, shattering one.
Tornadoes are usually recorded in southern and coastal provinces such as Guangdong and Jiangsu, according to China Weather News, which is run by the China Meteorological Administration. They are rare in Hubei and multiple factors, including the remnants of Tropical Storm Maysak, contributed to those that swept the region on Monday night, meteorological expert Wang Xiaoling told the Hubei Daily newspaper.
Meanwhile, in southern China, officials said six people had died, and 11 others were missing as record-breaking rain from Maysak caused widespread flooding in the Guangxi region, affecting 375,000 people, of whom 130,000 evacuated, according to the Guangxi regional propaganda office.
Guangxi issued a red alert, the highest level, for flooding on Tuesday. River levels rose to up to 7.5 meters (24 feet) above warning levels, according to Xinhua.
Banner image: Rescuers work at a logistics center hit by a tornado in Huangzhou District, Huanggang City, Hubei Province, China, on July 7, 2026. Image by Wu Zhizun/Xinhua via Associated Press
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