Tornadoes Rip Though States, Killing 19
Posted on: Sunday, 11 May 2008, 09:00 CDT
Tornadoes and intense storms ripped through Missouri and Oklahoma, killing at least 19 people and leveling many homes, officials said.
Search and rescue teams Sunday morning reported seven deaths in Ottawa County, Okla., 10 in Racine, Mo., one in Jasper County, Mo., and one near Purdy in Barry County, Mo., CNN reported.
More people may be dead in Missouri, said Susie Stonner, spokeswoman with the State Emergency Management Agency in Jefferson City, Mo.
It's dark and it was over a wide area. Some of the houses have been completely destroyed. There's a possibility there will be additional people, she said.
A tornado ripped through Picher, Okla., around 6 p.m. Saturday, damaging several buildings, killing at least seven people and wounding about 150 others.
It looks like a war zone. Some homes have fallen in, some homes have lost roofs, and some are now just slabs, said Michelann Ooten, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
About 3,000 people are without electricity, mostly in the Tulsa and McAlester areas of Oklahoma, emergency officials reported.
Source: United Press International
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds