At least 11 people have died after strong thunderstorms hit cities in central China’s Hubei province, state media reported.

Videos of tornadoes, taken from the neighboring cities of Ezhou and Huanggang, have been circulating online.

A student from the city of Huanggang told the BBC he had thought it was “just a normal storm” until he saw “things start flying through the air outside” his dorm window.

“Many students were cut by flying glass,” he said. “It wasn’t until it was all over that I realized I had just experienced a disaster.”

This is a rare event in the region, which last recorded a tornado in 2021, according to state media.

The storms have damaged thousands of buildings and injured more than 300 residents, say local authorities, who have launched rescue and relief operations.