China was hit by the tornado

At least 98 people died and over 800 were injured after a tornado, accompanied by hail, thunderstorms and lightning struck China on Thursday in the afternoon.

The weather conditions were terrible. The winds reached 125 miles per hour. The tornado destroyed hundreds of homes and factories, cars flying through the air in some areas of Yancheng in Jiangsu province of China, said in a message posted online by local authorities.

"When the tornado hit, the sky went dark as night and a terrible howling wind," said local villager CNN by phone on Friday. "Almost all the houses here have collapsed." A resident, who wanted to be identified only by his surname of Qiu, described the ruined village after a powerful earthquake, adding that his niece suffered minor injuries.

Another local resident Zhou described a tornado like swirl in the air. He went outside his house during a storm to try to save his mother, who lives nearby.

"Within two minutes, I was swept away, and then crashed into a house," he told state broadcaster CCTV system.

CCTV said Zhou pulled tendon in his ankle during the flight. The local hospital was overflowing with patients with serious injuries, according to broadcaster.

The police in Yancheng, a city with over 7 million inhabitants, reported Friday that thanks to the emergency crews had rescued more than 100 people and 2,000 evacuated.

The Central government in Beijing sent a group to oversee the provision of disaster relief. Was sent 1,000 tents, 2,000 folding beds and 10 sets of emergency lighting, according to the Ministry of civil Affairs. Provincial authorities in Jiangsu province have deployed a rescue team of more than 1,000 people.

The lack of warning system and underground bunkers, as well as population density may lead to heavy losses during climatic disasters.

sections: Accidents, World News