China: Egg-sized hail kills 13
2007-04-02 16:08
Beijing - Hail the size of eggs has ravaged southern parts of China, killing 13 people, closing an expressway and damaged crops on at least 81 300 hectares of farmland, said Xinhua news agency on Monday.
Seven people were killed and one was injured when a bus was hit in a landslide triggered by hailstorms since Sunday in mountainous areas in south-western Sichuan Province, Xinhua said.
The other six were killed by falling roofs and lightning, it said.
More than one million residents were affected around the city of Chongqing and economic losses stood at 198m yuan ($25.6 million), said Xinhua.
The hailstorms pelted five counties in Fujian province, on the southeast China seaboard, punching holes in thousands of homes and damaging power supply facilities.