A powerful windstorm hit Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China on March 31, 2024, resulting in the death of three people who were sucked out of their high-rise apartments. The occurrence took place at a waterfront neighborhood in the city’s southern sector around 3 a.m., where those affected were sleeping while the storm demolished the outer walls of their homes.

The disastrous storm claimed at least seven lives across nine cities, including Nanchang and Jiujiang. As reported by the Jiangxi Provincial Emergency Flood Control Headquarters, the harrowing circumstances affected about 93,000 citizens in 54 counties.

The victims from the high-rise were identified as a 64-year-old woman, her 11-year-old grandson, and another 60-year-old woman. Their identities were first revealed through neighborhood chat group messages and later confirmed by local emergency authorities, according to reports by Jimu News, a news outlet based in Hubei.

The tale of the 60-year-old woman has sparked national attention and generated widespread discussion on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, with over 300 million views by the following Monday. Video clips of the scene revealed considerable damage to her 11th-floor apartment, including a gaping hole where windows once shielded the inside. An empty bed frame and tattered curtains were among the visible debris.

A detailed account from the woman’s partner, known only by his last name Wan, depicted the horrifying moments when he was awakened by the storm’s intensity. In an interview with local media, he recalled waking up at 3 a.m. to the storm’s chaos and the wind’s destruction of his balcony’s glass. He had slept in a separate room from his partner that night and tried to wake her. “I ran to the room to get my partner but got no answer when I called out,” he said. His daughter later informed reporters that her mother’s body was found outside the apartment building.

Another heartbreaking incident involved the 64-year-old woman and her grandson, surnamed Liu and Xu respectively, who were sleeping in a bedroom on the 20th floor. They were tragically swept away along with their mattress by the storm.

Post-storm media coverage revealed numerous apartments in the neighborhood stripped of their glass facades, leaving behind mangled frames. This has prompted questions regarding the quality of the affected high-rise buildings’ construction. Notably, the focus has shifted to a former manager at the development company who was convicted of bribery. However, it is still undetermined whether there is a direct correlation between his actions and the buildings’ structural integrity.

Despite some assertions that the glass facades were installed by a decoration company chosen by the owners, the incident has ignited a broader discussion about construction standards and regulatory supervision.