Death toll nears 100 from tornado in China

By Mahmut Atanur

BEIJING (AA) – The death toll rose to 98 after rainstorms, hailstorms and a tornado devastated Yangcheng, China, authorities confirmed Friday.

The official Xinhua News Agency cited the local rescue headquarters as saying that approximately 800 other victims were injured in the area where many houses were toppled Thursday.

Zhou Xiang, chief of Jiangsu province’s fire corps, told the agency that efforts to search the rubble for trapped victims had been completed.

Extreme weather conditions in the country’s east had been reported in several townships in Yancheng's suburbs, where gales reached 125 kilometers per hour (77 miles per hour).

President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang responded to the disaster by instructing authorities to make every effort to rescue the injured and minimize casualties.