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Storm kills 14 in China, thousands homeless

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-06-15 08:51

HEFEI -- At least 14 people were killed and more than 180 others were injured in a severe hail storm that destroyed thousands of homes across eastern China's Anhui province, authorities have said on Sunday.

More than 10,000 people had to be evacuated and nearly 9,700 houses collapsed in the storm on Sunday that caused an estimated 450 million yuan (US$65 million) worth of damage, Anhui's Civil Affairs Bureau said.

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Hailstones and gale winds of up to 104 kilometers per hour (65 miles per hour) lashed the province for nearly an hour and a half Sunday afternoon, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

It was the second severe hail storm to hit the province this month. The first killed 23 people and injured more than 200 in the first week of June, officials said.

A working team has been sent out by the civil affairs bureau of Anhui to affected areas.

The Civil Affairs Bureau has warned local officials that more extreme weather could follow and called for officials to draw up emergency plans, the department said in a statement.