At least five people have died and 33 were injured in a tornado that hit Guangzhou, a city of 19 million people in southern China, according to Chinese state media. Authorities say 141 factory buildings were damaged, but no residential homes collapsed. Guangzhou, about 130 kilometers from Hong Kong, is the capital of Guangdong province. A weather station in Liangtian Village, Baiyun County, about 1.7 miles from where the tornado struck, recorded a maximum wind gust of 20.6 meters per second. Since 22:00. local time, search and rescue operations had ended.

The tornado follows days of heavy rains that have lashed southern China, causing deadly flooding and threatening to uproot the lives of tens of millions of people as rescuers rush to evacuate residents trapped by rising waters. Guangdong province, an economic powerhouse home to 127 million people, has seen widespread flooding that has forced more than 110,000 people to relocate. Earlier this week, state media reported that floods had killed at least four people in Guangdong. Since April 16, torrential rains have lashed the Pearl River Delta, China's manufacturing hub and one of the country's most populous regions, with four weather stations in Guangdong recording record April rainfall. China averages fewer than 100 tornadoes a year, and at least 1.772 people had died from tornadoes in the country since 1961. The China Meteorological Agency has warned heavy rains and strong storms are likely to continue until the end of the month. /CNN