This is a developing story.

Twelve people have been killed, with over 300 injured after tornadoes struck two Chinese cities Friday evening.

As of Saturday, a tornado had killed eight people in Wuhan, capital of the central Hubei province, and injured 230, according to the city’s emergency management bureau. The cyclone struck at 8:39 p.m. Friday, with a wind speed of 23.9 meters per second. 

According to the bureau, in addition to destroying a large number of trees, the tornado also flattened 27 houses, with 130 others damaged. It also ruined two tower cranes and 8,000 square meters of workers’ temporary living quarters. 

Around 7 p.m. Friday, another tornado hit Shengze Town in the eastern city of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, about 110 kilometers west of Shanghai. As of 5 a.m. Saturday, four people had died, with 149 injured. 

According to authorities, 84 households had been damaged, covering an area of 1,500 square meters. In addition, 17 enterprises had been damaged, covering an area of 13,000 square meters.

Editor: Hannah Lund

(Header image: Houses are destroyed by a tornado in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, May 15, 2021. People Visual)