Hail kills 12 in South, Central China

GUANGZHOU - Nine people died and 272 others were injured after a hailstorm in Dongguan City in south China's Guangdong Province, local authorities confirmed Saturday.

Among the injured people, nine were seriously hurt but two of them are now in stable condition, said a municipal government official.

The hailstorm happened on Wednesday.

The hail has caused economic losses of 357 million yuan (57.5 million U.S. dollars) in the city.

More heavy rain and hail is expected in parts of Guangdong Province in the next three days, the National Meteorological Center said on Saturday.

Three people died and more than 1.1 million people have been affected during hailstorms in central China's Hunan Province, according to local authorities on Saturday.

The hailstorms, which began on Tuesday, killed three people as of Friday, a provincial government official said.

More than 74,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. As many as 1,900 houses have collapsed and 100,000 homes are damaged.

The storm has damaged 92,300 hectares of crops, of which 14,900 hectares were destroyed, according to the government.

A disaster relief fund of 1.9 million yuan (305,900 U.S. dollars), as well as tents, quilts and drinking water have been distributed to those in affected areas.

Heavy rain and hail is expected in parts of Hunan Province in the next three days, the National Meteorological Center said in a statement.