Storms damage crops in China\'s Xinjiang

Heavy winds, rainstorms and hailstorms have damaged 7,000 hectares of crops in China\'s far western Xinjiang since Thursday, local authorities said. Strong winds, low temperatures and heavy rains have swept Xinjiang in turns since May, China\'s News Agency (Xinhua) reported. Rainstorms and hailstorms affected 1,650 hectares of crops and also damaged vegetable greenhouses, inflicting a direct economic loss of 10 million yuan (1.5 million U.S. dollars) in the prefecture of Kezilesukeerkezi, the prefecture government said in a statement. Some towns were hit Thursday night by a 30-minute hailstorm with hailstones having a diameter of one centimeter each, it said. In two counties in the neighboring prefecture of Kashgar, 3,100 hectares of cotton, 1,500 hectares of wheat and 700 hectares of vegetables and fruits were damaged, the Kashgar prefecture government said in another statement. Meanwhile, the bad weather also damaged 19 greenhouses and killed 53 livestock, it added.