BEIJING: Five people were killed in a tornado in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou.
The Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday that a further 33 people were injured in the storm.
According to official figures, the storm damaged 141 factory buildings, but no residential buildings collapsed.
According to Xinhua, the rescue work has already been largely completed. In the wake of the tornado, a weather station in the Baiyun district of Guangzhou registered wind speeds of over 20 metres per second.
Just a week ago, Guangzhou and the surrounding province of Guangdong were hit by torrential rainfall, killing at least four people and forcing the evacuation of over 100, 000 residents.
Guangzhou has a population of over 18 million. The provincial capital is one of the most important economic centres in the People's Republic.