State media says people under 50kg ‘may be blown away’ as strong winds hit northern part of China
In a rare move, China’s state media has issued a warning in its northern regions, advising those weighing less than 50kg to stay indoors, the BBC reported.
This came as the regions braced for their most powerful windstorm in a decade last weekend.
Source: @132860870 on Douyin
Winds of up to 150km/h were expected
From 11 to 13 April, the Beijing Meteorological Service elevated its wind alert to orange — the second-highest level in the nation’s four-tier warning system.
During that period, gusts of up to 150km/h were forecast to sweep through Beijing, Tianjin and parts of Hebei province as strong winds blew in from Mongolia.
Source: Beijing Meteorological Service on Weibo
“This strong wind is extreme, lasts for a long time, affects a wide area, and is highly disastrous,” said the agency.
Those below 50kg may be blown away: China state media
As a precaution, millions of people were advised to stay indoors, and workers and students were urged to go home.
Some state media outlets even warned that people weighing less than 50kg might be “easily blown away”.
Source: @qiyue054423 on Douyin
The advisory has gone viral over Chinese social media, with one user joking that they always ate a lot “just for this day”.
Venues closed & events rescheduled, one death reported
The local authorities took several precautionary measures before the weekend in response to the impending gale-force winds.
In Beijing, parks, tourist attractions and outdoor events were temporarily closed or rescheduled.
One of the events postponed was the world’s first humanoid robot half marathon, which will now be held on 19 April.
Thousands of trees were reinforced or pruned, and more than 150 train services were suspended in Beijing, according to the Global Times.
As the weekend passed, wind speeds reached 168km/h in Henan province, with the gusts breaking records in multiple cities, the South China Morning Post reported.
Source: AFP on Getty Images
One death was reported in Anhui province after a motorcyclist was hit by a fallen tree.
Also read: Worker clings for life on dangling gondola as strong winds hit Hong Kong at 110km/h
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Featured image adapted from @132860870 on Douyin and China Central Television.
