A powerful tornado ripped through the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Saturday afternoon, as the capital of Guangdong province was hit by heavy rain and a hailstorm.

The China Meteorological Administration said the tornado struck at around 3 p.m. local time and was rated as a level three on a scale of zero to five, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The weather station in Liangtian village, in Guangzhou’s Baiyun district, about 2.8 kilometers from where the tornado touched down, recorded a maximum wind gust of 20.6 meters per second at the time the tornado occurred.

City authorities had earlier issued warnings of thunderstorms, rainstorms, hail and tornadoes in several districts. There were unconfirmed reports of another tornado in a different district of the city later in the afternoon, the Associated Press reported, after footage of the tornado emerged.

An investigation into the damage caused is underway, it said.

Videos of the tornado and the devastation it caused have been widely shared on social media:

Tornado genera una gran Devastación en Guangzhou, China #Tornado #China
Guangzhou, una de las principales metrópolis del sur de China, fue azotada por un violento tornado la tarde del sábado, lanzando escombros por los aires durante una intensa tormenta que incluyó lluvia y… pic.twitter.com/XD5RnVmOsZ

— Alertageo (@alertarojanot) April 27, 2024

Çin'in Guangzhou şehrinde kasırga ve muazzam büyüklükte bir dolu yağışı gerçekleşmiş pic.twitter.com/WS4U3AL6fo

— Oğuz Aydın (@commandouz) April 27, 2024

Guangzhou kentini doğrudan vuran hortum taş üstünde taş bırakmamış, önüne gelen ne varsa yıkmış geçmiş. Çin için tarihi bir gün oluyor. Ölü ve yaralı sayısının artmasından endişe ediliyor. ️️pic.twitter.com/Q11VaNwQ44 https://t.co/keUxlqRgfN

— hawaeather (@hawaeather) April 27, 2024

Tornado in Zengcheng, Guangdong Province today. This tornado had a stronger radar apperance than the Guangzhou tornado, and also caused major damage. pic.twitter.com/R4R4gcdecx

— Eric1101 (@Ericwang1101) April 27, 2024

Mira como un poderoso tornado azota la metrópolis de Guangzhou, en el sur de China
#TORNADO #China
Un tornado lanzó escombros por los aires en la ciudad de Guangzhou, en el sur de China, el sábado durante una fuerte tormenta de lluvia y granizo, según reportó la prensa local.… pic.twitter.com/Nt39TF75fE

— Alertageo (@alertarojanot) April 27, 2024

More footage of the tornado today in the city of Guangzhou, China 🇨🇳
▪︎ 27 April 2024 ▪︎#tornado #China #Guangzhou pic.twitter.com/AOWOCCcRXi

— DISASTER TRACKER (@DisasterTrackHQ) April 27, 2024

Read Also: Chinese industrial firms' profits rise 4.3% in Q1 (Portuguese)