Severe convective weather, including tornadoes and strong winds, struck Mingshui County in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Saturday, damaging over 300 homes and injuring nine people, local authorities said.
The powerful weather system swept through the area on Saturday afternoon, bringing tornadoes and winds reaching up to about 50 meters per second, with gusts lasting around 18 minutes.
The severe weather toppled trees and damaged vehicles and homes in several areas.
Local authorities activated emergency response measures after the storm, dispatching personnel to assess damage and address safety hazards.
According to local officials, 313 households were affected and nine people suffered minor injuries. All injured residents received medical treatment and have since returned home.
Daily life and work in the affected areas have largely resumed, while repair work on damaged power facilities, homes and forested areas is progressing steadily.
Tornadoes, strong winds hit Heilongjiang, injuring 9
The three astronauts of the Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceflight mission have boarded the spacecraft for a flight to China’s Tiangong space station.
The Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship is scheduled to blast off at 23:08 Beijing Time (15:08 GMT) from northwest China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
The three Chinese astronauts, commander Zhu Yangzhu, spacecraft pilot Zhang Zhiyuan and payload specialist Lai Ka-ying, climbed aboard the spaceship with the help of technicians.
Following the launch, the astronauts will complete an in-orbit rotation with the outgoing Shenzhou-21 crew, and one of them will conduct a one-year in-orbit stay, double the usual duration of previous Shenzhou missions.
Notably, astronaut Lai Ka-ying is also the first astronaut from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight of China's manned spaceflight program, and the seventh manned flight mission since the Tiangong space station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.
Shenzhou-23 astronauts board spaceship ahead of launch
Shenzhou-23 astronauts board spaceship ahead of launch
Shenzhou-23 astronauts board spaceship ahead of launch
