Hailstorm in China causes widespread damage

Local governments in China issued emergency responses following a deluge of hailstones on Sunday.

Various towns in the northwestern Gansu Province and surrounding Tanchang County were affected in the 30-minute storm on Sunday afternoon, which caused widespread damage to vehicles, crops and buildings.

The deluge of hailstones, measuring up to 22mm in diameter, caused a 3-4cm deep white layer.

Local governments issued emergency response plans and deployed personnel to the affected areas for disaster relief and inspection.

Last month, four people died and 387,000 were affected by heavy rain and a hailstorm China's Hunan province.