Storm kills nine in China

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BEIJING, March 21 (UPI) -- Thunderstorms and hail Thursday in south China's Guangdong province killed at least nine people and injured more than 270, authorities said.

A day earlier at least three people died and 52 people were injured in a tornado that roared through towns in central China's Hunan province.

Thursday's storms in Guangdong province, packing winds of up to 109 miles per hour, dumped more than 1.9 inches of rain and unleashed hail in the province's Dongguan city, local officials told Xinhua News Agency.

Among those injured, 158 people had to be hospitalized with 11 of them reported in critical condition.

Authorities were assessing property damage in the area.

In Hunan province, officials said the tornado struck early Wednesday in Daoxian County, affecting more than 110,000 people. Of the three killed by the twister, one died in a house collapse, while the other two died in hospitals.