Tornado kills 15

BEIJING: A tornado tore through a town in eastern China, tearing apart a factory building and killing 15 people, the government said on Sunday. The tornado hit Lingbi County in Anhui province at midday on Saturday, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing the local civil affairs department. Eight of those killed were working in the factory, the report said. The report didn’t give details of the other deaths. — AP

Wall collapse kills 7

BEIJING: A brick wall collapsed at a festival in southern China, killing seven people and injuring 22, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday. The wall fell on Saturday night during the opening ceremony of an annual “torch festival” celebrated by the Yi ethnic minority in Yunnan province’s Yuanyang county, the agency said. About 3,000 area residents and tourists were taking part in the celebration and more than 30 people were next to the wall, which measured 50 meters long and two meters high, when it suddenly collapsed, Xinhua said. — AP

Three killed in mishap

BANGKOK: A passenger train hit a truck on Sunday in southern Thailand, leaving three people dead and three others injured, police said. The train, headed from Bangkok to the southern province of Yala, hit the truck in Songkhla province, said police Col. Sutin Phongsri. The accident killed the driver of the truck and two of its passengers, one of them a 4-year-old girl, Sutin said. — AP

Seychelles prez’s visit

NEW DELHI: Seychelles President James Alex Michel arrived here on Sunday on a three-day visit to boost warm and friendly ties between New Delhi and the picturesque Indian Ocean country that is home to a 5,000-strong Indian diaspora. Michel is likely to reiterate his country’s support for India’s bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Michel will hold talks on bilateral issues at Hyderabad house on Monday afternoon. — HNS