Tornado in midwestern US kills at least five, destroys homes
The Missouri tornado is the latest extreme weather after storms battered states in the Midwest and Southern United States over the past week.
A large tornado has caused damage and destruction in the US state of Missouri, killing at least five people and injuring others, as the region prepares for the possibility of new storms.
The storm made landfall in Bollinger County in the early morning hours on Wednesday. “I can confirm five fatalities,” Sheriff Casey Graham posted on social media.
He said search and rescue efforts continued after “a significant tornado” left fallen trees and destroyed homes in its path.
“The damage is pretty widespread,” Sergeant Clark Parrott of the Missouri State Highway Patrol told reporters. “It’s just heartbreaking to see it.”
Large parts of the midwest and southern US are gearing up for more storms that could produce additional tornadoes and hail storms. In recent months, many regions of the US have faced challenges from extreme weather and an endless series of winter storms.
Last week, strong storms spawned 11 tornadoes that caused widespread destruction in numerous Midwestern and Southern states, killing at least 32 people.
In Missouri, emergency and first responders conducted searches and attempted to clear debris to reach homes.
“It’s going to be a slow process, but for now it’s an active search and rescue,” Parrott said.
The tornado touched down at 3:30 a.m. (08:00 GMT) in a rural area of Bollinger County about 80 kilometers (50 mi) south of the city of St. Louis. Reuters reported that photos on social media show extensive damage to homes in the town of Glen Allen, about 177 kilometers (110 mi) south of St. Louis.
Justin Gibbs, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Kentucky, told The Associated Press that the tornado traveled between 15 and 20 miles (24 and 32 kilometers) and remained grounded for about 15 minutes.
The fact that it occurred in the early morning may have exacerbated the human toll.
“It’s definitely a nightmare from a warning standpoint,” Gibbs said. “It’s always bad, but it’s especially bad at 3:30 in the morning.”