A tornado has killed 14 people and injured 146 in China, according to state media this morning.
The tornado hit three villages around Tianchang in Anhui province yesterday, destroying more than 100 houses, the official Xinhua news agency said. The bodies of seven people were recovered from the rubble.
State television showed footage of uprooted trees, toppled electric poles and a truck blown into a river.
Of the 93 injured in the province, 35 were in serious condition, Xinhua said. A further 200 people had been evacuated.
Seven people were killed in Gaoyou city in neighbouring Jiangsu province, the agency said, adding that 53 were injured.
"Winds and heavy rain cut off power and telecommunications, ripped off rooftops and uprooted thousands of trees," a Gaoyou government official was quoted as saying.
The winds at the centre of the tornado reached speeds of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph).
Forecasters were now warning of possible floods along the Huai river, which runs through the region. The upper reaches of the Huai had already reached critical levels.
18 provinces and major cities across China have been hit by floods and accompanying disasters recently, with a total of 233 people killed and 118,500 houses destroyed, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said on its website (sfdh.chinawater.com.cn).
The office warned that China was entering the main flood season and must brace for surging waters along major rivers.