At least 17 people have died in storms that battered China, in what reporting describes as a scene of devastation. The severe weather has hit more than one part of the country, prompting a large emergency response as authorities work to account for those caught up in the disaster.
The heaviest loss of life was reported in the centre of the country. According to the reporting, two tornadoes advanced at the same time over Hubei province, in central China, in what was described as a rare phenomenon for the region, destroying much of what lay in their path and leaving at least 17 people dead and 331 others injured.
The strength of the winds was felt directly by residents. According to the account, one 30-year-old man was left in intensive care in a very serious condition, while furniture such as a sofa and cabinets was carried off by the wind, giving a sense of the force with which the storm tore through homes.
In the south of the country, the danger came from water rather than wind. According to the reporting, torrential rains brought by the passage of Typhoon Meizak burst a dam, and the surge transformed streets into what were described as rivers of mud across affected areas.
The flooding forced a large-scale displacement of residents. According to the account, the force of the water flooded entire neighbourhoods, left cities partially submerged and forced more than 48,000 people to leave their homes in a hurry as the waters rose around them.
Officials pointed to a combination of weather factors behind the violence of the storms. According to the reporting, the clash between the humidity of the typhoon and a cold front generated the violent weather, and the Chinese army and rescue teams are now working against the clock to locate the missing and remove stranded residents, with the government raising its alert to the maximum level.
The typhoon had already left its mark elsewhere before reaching China. According to the account, Typhoon Meizak had previously struck Vietnam, China's neighbour, on its path through the region, part of a broader spell of dangerous weather affecting several areas.
The danger was not confined to the tornadoes and the typhoon. According to the reporting, a landslide in western China left 21 people dead, while other storms and floods struck different regions of the country, causing further casualties and leaving thousands of people homeless as the emergency spread across more than one part of China.
The force of the flooding and landslides was captured on video. According to the account, one landslide dragged away trees, cars and even a tanker truck in scenes described as resembling something out of a film, illustrating the sheer power of the water and earth on the move in the affected areas.
The scale of the disaster drew a response at the highest level of the Chinese state. According to the reporting, President Xi Jinping called for an all-out effort in the rescue operations, and the country remained on maximum alert, with officials warning that the severe weather had not yet let up.