China is facing extreme weather conditions as a typhoon has swept through multiple regions of the country, leaving behind a trail of destruction from floods, tornadoes, and widespread damage. Typhoon Maysak has claimed at least 15 lives, according to local media reports, while hundreds of residents were forced to evacuate their homes due to the severe weather.
Scenes of destruction across China
Particularly shocking footage has emerged showing the moment a powerful tornado strikes the city of Ezhou, in Hubei Province, with winds reaching speeds of up to 257 kilometers per hour, forcing residents to run for their lives. In one of the videos, the glass door of a restaurant shatters as debris hurled by the violent winds slams into the building at tremendous speed.
The ferocity of the storm uprooted trees and reduced street furniture to rubble. Aerial footage of the affected areas captures the full scale of the devastation, with debris blanketing nearly every inch of the roads, as residents struggle to come to terms with the aftermath of the disaster.
Massive amounts of water in its wake
Typhoon Maysak struck large parts of Vietnam and southern China over the weekend. According to forecasts, the storm is expected to unleash enormous quantities of water it accumulated while tracking across the South China Sea.
On Monday, areas in the eastern part of central Hubei Province experienced a “vertical air transport event” — caused by sharp temperature contrasts — that triggered “violent storms and powerful winds,” China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported. The cities of Huangshi and Huanggang were among the hardest hit, where eight people lost their lives overnight, the public broadcaster added. Tornadoes were reported in scattered locations, and one person remained missing as of Tuesday morning. “The full extent of the damage is currently being assessed, and rescue operations are in full swing,” CCTV further stated.
