Tornado kills 14 in China

A tornado with winds up to 65mph has killed 14 people and injured 146 others in eastern China.

They are the latest casualties from the bad weather that has devastated parts of the country this summer.

The tornado hit three villages around Tianchang in Anhui province, destroying more than 100 houses. The bodies of seven people have been recovered from the rubble.

Television pictures showed footage of uprooted trees, toppled electric poles and a truck blown into a river.

Of the 93 injured, 35 are in a serious condition. A further 200 people have been evacuated.

Seven people were killed and 53 injured in Gaoyou city in neighbouring Jiangsu province.

"Winds and heavy rain cut off power and telecommunications, ripped off rooftops and uprooted thousands of trees," a Gaoyou government official said.

Forecasters are now warning of possible floods along the Huai river, which runs through the region. The upper reaches of the Huai have already reached critical levels.

Before the tornado hit, 18 provinces and major cities across China had been hit by floods and accompanying disasters, with a total of 233 people killed and 118,500 houses destroyed.

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