Footage of a hailstorm in Dongguan City captured by a resident on March 20. (YouTube.com)
Five provinces in southern China were assaulted by extreme weather, including a “super-tornado,” and egg-sized hailstones, with the onslaught predicted to continue until Sunday.
Since March 18, the provinces of Hunan, Guangdong, Fujian, Guizhou, and Jiangxi, have been suffering various disastrous weather events, according to state-run China News.
Dongguan City in the Pearl River Delta witnessed some of the most severe conditions, which flattened buildings and flipped cars, according to Guangdong Daily. Municipal authorities said there were 148 casualties with 9 deaths and 11 in critical condition, mostly due to building collapses.
A river ferryboat sank in the city of Nanping on March 20 after powerful storms struck Fujian Province, Strait News reported. Local resident Mr. Wu told The Epoch Times the next day that 11 bodies had been recovered, but 34 were still missing. State mouthpiece Xinhua confirmed the death toll, but said only four people were missing.
A “super-tornado,” slammed Yongzou City, Hunan Province, on March 20, killing 3 and injuring 52. Mr. Tang, a college principal, told The Epoch Times that about 20 large trees on campus were uprooted or snapped in half.
More than 10,000 lightning strikes were recorded within 24 hours during widespread thunderstorms in Jiangxi Province on March 19.
The ministry of civil affairs has estimated the economic damage at 1.31 billion yuan ($210 million), according to a report by China Daily.
Drawing on the traditional Chinese cultural belief that there is a connection between natural disasters and the virtue of the ruler, netizens took the opportunity of the inclement weather to criticize the Communist Party, and argue that divine retribution is being dealt out.
A netizen from Zhejiang Province posted: “It is a time of real chaos. These abnormal events show the divine’s will. It is fate; people should take care of themselves.”
A woman in Yunnan blogged: “Hail in March? Is this just strange weather or is it because terribly unjust things have been happening in the human realm?”
Translation Frank Fang. Written in English by Cassie Ryan.
Read the original Chinese article.
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