**A powerful tornado has hit Chongqing municipality in south-western China, killing at least 23 people.**The state news agency Xinhua reported that at least 160 people had been injured, but the number of casualties was still being checked.
Rescue work is underway in Liangping and Dianjiang districts, Xinhua said.
Crops were destroyed and homes smashed when the tornado hit the two districts of the sprawling Chongqing municipality before dawn, according to Xinhua.
State media also reported that electricity had been cut off in areas hit by the storms.
At the heart of the municipality includes the huge and rapidly growing city where a major campaign against organised crime is under way.
Chongqing, which has a population of about 30 million people, also includes rural districts, such as those hit by this weather system.This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
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