(Bloomberg) -- A strong tornado wreaked havoc through the city of Guangzhou, one of China’s biggest economic hubs, on Saturday, killing five people and injuring 33, according to a report by the official Xinhua News Agency. 

The tornado, which occurred early afternoon, was accompanied by a hailstorm, the Guangzhou Meteorological Bureau said. The extreme weather event lasted until 7 p.m., the bureau said. The tornado also damaged 141 factories, Xinhua reported. 

China’s southern territories have been hit by heavy rains over the past few weeks. Guangdong Province, whose capital is Guangzhou, relocated about 110,000 residents due to continuous rainfall that resulted in damaged houses, blocked roads, floods and landslides. Shenzhen, a technology hub bordering Hong Kong, was forced to shut down elementary schools and kindergartens, and halt all outdoor activities last week due to a severe rainstorm.

The Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport reported a blackout at one of its terminals late Saturday, and said about 70 flights were delayed for more than one hour as of 11 p.m. due to bad weather. 

Many social media users posted videos and photos of the tornado and hailstorm. Some of the videos show hailstones as big as fists falling on streets, damaging cars, smashing through metal roofs and breaking windows. 

Others said they have cancelled flight tickets and hotel bookings for their upcoming trips to Guangzhou during the five-day Labor Day holiday starting from May 1. 

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