The death toll of a disastrous weather featuring strong gale, even tornado, torrential rain and hailstorm, which plagued southwestern China's Chongqing from Wednesday night to Thursday morning, has risen to 26 at press time, according to the emergency office of the municipal government.

Another 161 people were injured in the extreme weather.

Liangping county was hit by a tornado and hailstorm at around

2:00 a.m., leaving six people dead and another 34 injured. Nineteen people died and 127 people were injured in Dianjiang County, according to preliminary statistics. One more death was reported in Fuling District.

Numerous houses were toppled down in the disastrous weather, but the exact number is yet to be investigated.

The municipal government has begun to carry out an emergency plan and started relief work.

The municipal health authorities have dispatched two teams of medical workers to Dianjiang and Liangping counties.

(Xinhua News Agency May 6, 2010)