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Chinese tornado, hailstorm death toll hits 98

Updated: 06 24 , 2016 11:59
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Chinese tornado, hailstorm death toll hits 98

YANCHENG, June 23, 2016 -- An injured woman is placed on a stretcher by rescuers in Funing County, east China's Jiangsu Province, June 23, 2016. Downpours, hailstorms and a tornado battered parts of Yancheng City at 2:30 p.m., destroying many houses, the city government said in a press release. (Xinhua/Yan Xiao)

NANJING, June 24 -- Death toll of the tornado and hailstorms in east China's Jiangsu Province has climbed to 98, local rescue headquarters said on Friday.

About 800 people were injured, it said.

Intense downpours, hailstorms and a tornado battered parts of Yancheng City close to the eastern coast of China at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, destroying buildings, trees, vehicles and electricity poles.

Search for the people through the debris has been completed, said Zhou Xiang, head of the Jiangsu provincial fire corps on Friday.

Cleaning efforts are underway.

More than 1,300 police officers have been called in to assist with the rescue efforts and providing help to the displaced residents.

Chinese President Xi Jinpinghas ordered all-out rescue efforts and the prioritization of life-saving measures.

The city has activated its highest response system following the extreme weather.

Tornados occasionally hit eastern and southern China during the summer, but rarely with the scale of damage like this one in Yancheng. A similar disaster hit the city in March 1966.

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