A man checks a car parked near a tree rooted out by gales in Foshan, South China's Guangdong province, April 17, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

GUANGZHOU - At least 17 people were killed and 155 injured in south China's Guangdong province as of Monday after hailstones, cloudburst and strong wind ravaged the region, flood control authorities said.

Gales as strong as 45.5 meters per second, accompanied by hailstorm and lashing rain, battered cities including Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhaoqing and Dongguan on Sunday, a spokesman with the province's flood control headquarters said.

The victims were mostly killed by walls and work sheds collapsed in strong wind, as well as objects that fell from buildings, he said.