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
Serbian and Hungarian officials hailed Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to both countries as having far-reaching influence on cooperation.
Xi returned to Beijing on Saturday morning after wrapping up state visits to France, Serbia and Hungary.
Nikola Serakovic, Serbian minister of culture, expressed his delight at the excellent cooperation between the two countries.
"Why am I particularly happy? We have a perfect cooperation on a personal level, between our two leaders, between the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic and the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping. Then we have the cooperation between two governments and our ministers. But now we've started cooperating in the fields which are tackling the people's everyday life. So, when you come back from your work at your home and when you turn on a TV, you can take a look our documentaries about China, about Chinese geography, about Chinese history, about Chinese culture. And vice versa is the same speaking about the Serbian history, Serbian geography, Serbian culture, and this is something which can bring our two peoples, despite a big geographical distance which is dividing our two countries, we can bring our peoples much closer," said Serakovic.
Serakovic said Xi's visit will propel the cooperation between Serbia and China into a new era.
"Now if we are talking about our cultural exchange and our cooperation in the field of culture, I am pretty much sure that we are at the beginning of a new period which is going to give much longer effect on the relations of our two countries," said Serakovic.
Sandor Kusai, former ambassador of Hungary to China, said that Xi's visit to Hungary elevates the bilateral relationship to new heights.
"It's a beginning of a new age in our relationship and it's very constructive. The importance of this visit is that we will raise the level of our strategic partnership to a new level which will contribute to the development of both countries," said Kusai.
Nadasi Thomas, president of the Hungarian-Chinese Chamber of Economy of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also shared his insights into Xi's visit to Hungary.
"Yesterday (May 9), the leaders of Hungary and China signed important documents to elevate bilateral relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era. I think that is the best definition of the relationship between the two countries. While Hungary may have a relatively small territory compared to China, through this visit, China can gain a deeper understanding of the country. President Xi's visit also enables Hungarians to better understand the significance of cooperation with China and the advantages of participating in the Belt and Road Initiative," said Thomas.
Xi's visit has far-reaching influence on cooperation: Serbian, Hungarian officials
