Chinese Strong Wind Breaks 'Wajangchang' Balcony Window... Mother Holds Child in a 'Desperate Escape'

Strong winds swept through southeastern China, causing a tragic accident in which three residents sleeping in a high-rise apartment were blown outside and died.

[Video source=Captured from SNS]

According to local media including Hongxing News on the 3rd, on the 31st of last month, heavy rain accompanied by strong winds hit Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, China, resulting in 4 deaths and over 10 injuries. Among the deceased, three were residents of the same apartment, all of whom were affected when the windows were torn off by the strong winds.

An elderly woman (64) and her grandson (11), who lived on the 20th floor of the apartment, were sleeping around 3 a.m. when they were blown outside the building and died. The bereaved family told local media, "The window of the room where the two deceased were sleeping was completely torn off by the strong wind," adding, "Only the bed frame remained inside the room, and there was no one inside." Other family members who were sleeping in different rooms woke up to the sudden loud noise and, after checking each other's safety, learned of the tragic incident.

[Video source=Captured from SNS]

Another woman in her 60s living on the 11th floor of the same apartment also fell outside the house due to the strong winds and died. The family reported that the balcony glass window of the room where she was sleeping was completely destroyed by the wind.

Numerous videos showing the power of the strong winds were posted on local social networking services (SNS) including Weibo. One video captured an apartment veranda window being blown off entirely and falling onto a sofa in the living room. The video also showed a woman who was at home at the time urgently carrying a child lying in the living room and fleeing to a room.

Another video showed a man holding onto a tent pole being suddenly lifted into the air by the strong wind. The man was blown to the entrance of a nearby store but was reported to have not been seriously injured.

[Photo by SNS capture]

The rain that poured down on Nanchang City and other southeastern regions of China that day reached 50mm per hour, with strong winds blowing at speeds of up to 30 meters per second. More than 1,600 street trees were uprooted. Chinese meteorological authorities issued a yellow storm warning for the area and urged caution.