China tornado: Dozens die in Jiangsu province

Homes were flattened by the storms

A tornado has killed 51 people in eastern China and injured dozens more, state media say.

Official news agency Xinhua reports that the tornado - accompanied by torrential rain and hailstorms - hit the province of Jiangsu on Thursday afternoon. Homes in Yancheng city were flattened, it adds.

Floods in parts of southern China killed 22 people earlier this week. Video from the scene of the tornado shows injured children being transported on the backs of mopeds, overturned vehicles, snapped trees and street light poles, and toppled electricity pylons.

Many parts of China have been hit by torrential rains this week. The floods in southern China displaced nearly 200,000 people, state media said. Direct economic losses from the floods are estimated to be 2.7bn yuan ($410m).
China's vice premier Wang Yang has said that China faces volatile weather conditions as a result of the influence of El Nino on weather patterns.