Hail, storms kill 40 in China (VIDEO)
Soldiers and disaster-response teams help some of the 350,000 people affected by sudden hail storms that killed 40 in China.
The death toll stands at 40 with 18 missing after torrential storms hit a mountainous region of northwest China, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported today.
The storms affected more than 350,000 people, with 30,000 evacuated and almost 90 hospitalized in the Minxian county of Gansu province.
The National Disaster Reduction Committee and Civil affairs ministry sent 2,000 staff and 800 soldiers to help the hardest-hit areas.
Almost three inches of rain, and hailstones the size of golf balls, fell in an hour on Thursday, Reuters reported.
The water affected power, roads, houses, crops and telecommunications equipment.
Xinhua said the Chinese government would give families of the killed 8,000 yuan ($1,270) compensation.
Those affected by the damage are getting 10 yuan per day for 15 days, while those without an income can receive the money for three months.
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