Thousands of villagers were left homeless after rain and hail storms pummeled southern China, state media said Monday. No deaths were reported. A violent storm in coastal Fujian province caused rivers to overflow and pelted homes with large hailstones that punched through roofs, The Associated Press quoted the official Xinhua News Agency as saying. The storm, which started early Sunday morning and lasted 24 hours, left five counties badly battered by hail, it said. Other counties suffered damage from thunder storms and torrential rains. In Minqing County _ one of the worst-hit areas _ about 10,000 people were left homeless because of roof damage, it said. Hail was also blamed for cutting power supplies in Lingkou village in northern Fujian. About 1,000 people there were left homeless, it said. Total economic losses from the storm were estimated to be 11.7 million yuan (US$1.47 million; ¤1.1 million). In Sichuan province, 20 houses collapsed when hailstones «the size of eggs» rained down in Xuanhan county on Sunday, stripping trees and crushing rooftops, Xinhua said. Another 85 homes were damaged along with 1,300 hectares (3,200 acres) of crops, it said, citing Luo Anchun, a local official in charge of disaster relief affairs.
