Rare Tornado Rips Through Central China, Sweeps Man from 12th-Floor Flat as Death Toll Rises

A rare and violent tornado has torn through central China’s Hubei Province, killing at least 11 people, injuring more than 330 others and causing widespread destruction after hurricane-force winds ripped through the city of Huanggang.

In one of the storm’s most extraordinary incidents, a 30-year-old man was swept from his 12th-floor apartment by the powerful winds late on Monday night. Remarkably, he survived the ordeal and is receiving treatment in an intensive care unit.

According to reports, the tornado generated winds of up to 93 miles per hour, equivalent to hurricane-force strength on the extended Beaufort wind force scale.

The ferocious winds tore kitchen cabinets from walls, lifted furniture from inside homes and overturned heavy vehicles. Semi-trailer trucks were reportedly hurled distances of up to 100 feet as the storm carved a destructive path through Huanggang.

Authorities said more than 4,800 homes across Hubei Province sustained damage during the extreme weather event, while emergency responders continued rescue and recovery operations in the affected communities.

Although tornadoes do occur in parts of China, meteorologists describe such powerful events as highly unusual in Hubei Province. Research indicates that severe tornado activity across the country has declined significantly over recent decades, making the latest disaster particularly exceptional. The province last experienced a tornado of comparable significance in May 2021.

The destructive weather was triggered by the remnants of Super Typhoon Maysak, a powerful tropical cyclone that made landfall last Friday. The storm system has already forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate as torrential rainfall unleashed deadly flooding across parts of the country.

Chinese authorities have mobilised emergency services to assist displaced residents, clear debris and assess the full extent of the damage, while weather officials continue to monitor conditions amid concerns that further severe weather could affect the region.

The latest disaster underscores the growing threat posed by increasingly intense weather events, with communities across central China grappling with the combined impact of destructive winds, flooding and widespread infrastructure damage.