Severe storm kills 7, hurts 37 in China

BEIJING: At least seven people were killed and 37 others injured in strong winds accompanied by heavy downpour hit southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The gales, with the maximum speed of 38.5 meters per second, swept through Wusheng County, Guang'an City, from 10 pm Saturday to 7 am yesterday (local time), state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.

Twenty of the injured persons were being hospitalised. The natural disaster damaged 14,500 houses and 3,000 hectares of farmland, and affected traffic, power supply and communication, inflicting direct economic losses of about 120 million ($19.2 million), it added.