(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-06-06 07:29

ZHENGZHOU -- Strong wind and hail blasted central China's Henan Province and killed 10 on Tuesday, the local authority said on Thursday.

The direct economic loss was estimated to be 160 million yuan (23.2 million U.S. dollars), in which 123 million yuan was agricultural loss, according to official statistics.

Hail and strong winds with the speed of 72 kph to 86.4 kph blasted the province for three hours starting at 2:41 p.m. on Tuesday. The diameter of hail stones was measured to be two to four cm.

The disaster hit most areas of the province and caused casualties in some areas, said a spokesman with the provincial civil affairs department.

Houses and trees were blown down and electrical supply was cut off by the wind, he said.

Local government officials have arrived at the sites for further confirmation of the losses. Rescue team have started to restore the public facilities.