Freak hail stones the size of eggs kill 22 people and injure 200 in China's Henan province, local media report.

Freak hail stones the size of eggs have killed 22 people and injured 200 in China's central Henan province, local media reports say.

Trees were uprooted, vehicles damaged and power supplies disrupted by winds gusting up to over 70 km/h in the central province of Henan.

Most of the deaths came when buildings in the northern town of Zhengzhou collapsed, including a petrol station.

In the neighbouring village of Yilin, a cattle feed factory collapsed killing four, the Beijing Youth Daily reported. Hospitals were overcrowded with victims suffering from injuries caused by the hailstones and by flying debris.

The Henan Province Meteorological Station said it had issued a severe weather warning, but it had failed to reach the public in time.

Livestock killed

"We said there would be a thunderstorm. It's difficult to predict hail," said station manager Gu Wanlong.

Zhengzhou Mayor Yao Daixian told Xinhua news agency he had demanded stricter housing standards.

According to BBC weather experts, most hailstones are smaller than 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter.

However, they can be as big as grapefruits.

Last year, livestock, houses and farmland in seven villages were destroyed by hailstones the size of footballs and weighing up to two kilograms in the northern Nigerian city of Kano.

China is still battling with the worst flooding for a decade. Officials said more than 800 people had died and 100 million were affected by the floods, which destroyed more than eight million hectares of crops.

Southern and western provinces suffered the biggest losses and more than 1.5 million people have had to leave their homes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_2141000/2141721.stm