Story highlights At least 98 reported dead, 800 injured in storm

Beijing has sent teams and disaster relief supplies to the region

Beijing (CNN) At least 98 people were killed and 800 more were injured after a tornado -- accompanied by hailstorms, thunderstorms and lightning -- hit eastern China early Thursday afternoon, the government said.

The extreme weather, packed with winds up to 125 kilometers per hour, destroyed homes and factories and tossed cars into the air in parts of Yancheng City in China's Jiangsu Province, according to a statement posted online by the local authorities.

"When the tornado hit, the wind was howling and the sky turned as dark as night," a local villager told CNN by phone Friday. "Almost all the houses here have collapsed."

The resident, who wanted to be identified only by her family name Qiu, described the flattened village looking like the aftermath of a powerful earthquake, adding that her niece suffered minor injuries.

Photos: Tornado, storms kill scores in China The extent of storm damage is seen across the village of Funing, near Yancheng City in China's Jiangsu Province, on Friday, June 24. Severe weather, including a rare tornado, struck the region on June 23, killing at least 98 people and injuring hundreds. Hide Caption 1 of 11 Photos: Tornado, storms kill scores in China Soldiers work in the rubble of Funing on June 24. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the central government in Beijing has sent a team to oversee disaster relief efforts. Hide Caption 2 of 11 Photos: Tornado, storms kill scores in China A victim with a head injury lies on a stretcher at the hospital in Funing on June 24. Hide Caption 3 of 11 Photos: Tornado, storms kill scores in China A worker assesses damage to infrastructure on June 24. According to local authorities, the powerful storm hit the region with winds of up to 125 kilometers per hour. Hide Caption 4 of 11 Photos: Tornado, storms kill scores in China Residents on a motorbike pass through the heavily damaged village of Funing on June 24. Hide Caption 5 of 11 Photos: Tornado, storms kill scores in China A damaged factory is seen on June 24 in the wake of the severe weather. The area affected around Yancheng, a city of more than 7 million residents, is densely populated with homes, farms and factories. Hide Caption 6 of 11 Photos: Tornado, storms kill scores in China Funing residents search for belongings in the rubble of collapsed houses on June 24. Hide Caption 7 of 11 Photos: Tornado, storms kill scores in China Firefighters cross a road in Funing on June 24. Provincial authorities in Jiangsu deployed a rescue team of more than 1,000 people. Hide Caption 8 of 11 Photos: Tornado, storms kill scores in China Residents survey damaged homes in Funing on June 24. Hide Caption 9 of 11 Photos: Tornado, storms kill scores in China Destroyed properties are seen in Funing on June 24. The extreme winds tossed cars into the air in parts of Yancheng City, according to a statement by local authorities. Hide Caption 10 of 11 Photos: Tornado, storms kill scores in China One woman supports another as they pass through the rubble of collapsed houses in Funing on June 24. Hide Caption 11 of 11

Zhou Qingchun, another local resident, described swirling in the air in the tornado as he stepped outside of his home in an attempt to rescue his mother living nearby.

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