Thunder, lightning and strong wind hit Shanghai on Sunday night, leaving one person dead and 16 others injured after a house in Baoshan District collapsed, said a spokesman of the municipal authorities.
At about 8:20 PM a two-story steel house, with a floor area of 350 square meters, collapsed in a strong wind. Among the injured, four people were seriously injured. Rescue efforts still continued.
The Shanghai meteorological station issued a yellow warning alert on thunder and lightning at 6:58 PM and another yellow alert on strong wind at 7:40 PM, warning of force 7-9 wind in three hours.
Force 7-9 wind swept Chongming, Baoshan and Jiading districts and most of the city saw lightning. Some parts of the city also received more than 30 millimeters of rainfall.
In the afternoon, the city issued a yellow warning alert on high temperature. The highest temperature in downtown area was reported to be 35.7 degrees Celsius Sunday. The city has endured 20 days with the temperatures above 35 degrees this year. In normal years, a run of such days lasts no more than nine days.
(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2008)
