Five people were killed and 33 others injured in a strong tornado that hit Guangzhou, the capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, on Saturday afternoon, local authorities said.
The tornado hit Zhongluotan Town in the city's Baiyun District at approximately 15:00, while the weather station in Liangtian Village, roughly 2.8 kilometers from the tornado's point of occurrence, registered a maximum wind gust of 20.6 meters per second.
A preliminary investigation by the provincial meteorological bureau has determined that the tornado had a level-three intensity -- two levels down from the highest intensity level of five -- and that it moved an approximate distance of one kilometer.
The city and the Baiyun District activated the emergency response soon after the tornado, sending rescuers from emergency management, weather, fire, waterworks and health departments as well as local residents to the disaster site immediately.
As of 10 p.m. on Saturday, the on-site search and rescue work were basically completed. The injured people have been sent to nearby hospitals for treatment.
The authorities said 141 factory buildings were damaged, with no collapse of residential houses.
Strong tornado hits China's Guangzhou, killing 5, injuring 33
Strong tornado hits China's Guangzhou, killing 5, injuring 33
Strong tornado hits China's Guangzhou, killing 5, injuring 33
Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Jagan Chapagain emphasized the critical urgency of tackling the climate crisis, which stands as one of the most fundamental challenges facing our world today, as he cited unprecedented weather patterns that have had an impact on human life and resources.
His remarks came during a Wednesday interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), coinciding with high-level talks in Washington between China and the U.S. on addressing the climate crisis, scheduled from May 7 to 16.
Chapagain stressed the need for innovative fundraising mechanisms, as he highlighted lack of funding as the most critical challenge in combating climate change.
"I mean the climate crisis, if we talk about it, it's one of the fundamental crisis the world is facing today. If we just look back the last 12 months, look at the weather pattern anywhere in the world, it doesn't resemble to anything we experienced. And it's creating a multiple impact on human life; climate and health, climate and food security, climate and water-its impact there, climate and energy. So these are multiple issues that are impacting the people living in vulnerable settings. So at the moment, being humanitarian, it is not an easy time for the humanitarians. Now, the challenge is how do we get those negotiations and turn them into action on the ground where people are actually living. And there, I think the action part is still lagging behind. The second aspect which is also lagging behind is funding, because whenever you have any decision or resolution to operationalize that, it requires funding. And this has been one of the big asks from my organization; how do we get the funding channel to the communities and the countries which need it the most? I was recently in Malawi, and I had a chance to talk to the climate minister there. And one of his main concerns was the climate funding is not sufficiently reaching the communities who need it the most. They are trying their best, but the posting is the amount available is not enough," he said.
Climate action is a key focus for Chapagain's visit to China, as he believes that collaboration with countries such as China is crucial in tackling the climate crisis.
"The second thing is even when it is available, the flow of funding is not reaching the local community level, and this is one of our major asks. Globally, it has been to channel the right level of resources reaching the people at the community. And this is one of the things during my trip here in also China. I have been discussing because China has played a significant role in COP negotiations, but also in making a huge transition, particularly on the energy transition and investing at the community level. And I believe that the partnership with countries like China is extremely important if we are to turn the tide of the climate crisis," he said.
IFRC chief urges immediate action to combat climate crisis
