At least 5 people are dead after a tornado tore through Missouri

  • last year
At least 5 people are dead after a tornado tore through Missouri

GLEN ALLEN, Mo. — A large tornado tore through southeastern Missouri before dawn on Wednesday, killing at least five people and causing widespread destruction as a broad swath of the Midwest and South kept a wary eye out for further storms that could spawn additional twisters and hail.

The tornado touched down around 3:30 a.m. and moved through a rural area of Bollinger County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of St. Louis, said Sgt. Clark Parrott of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Trees were uprooted and homes turned into piles of splinters. One building was flipped on its side. Drone footage showed emergency crews peering into the wreckage with flashlights.

More than 20 agencies were part of the search for survivors and victims, with the damage so bad that they sometimes were forced to use chainsaws to cut back trees and brush to reach homes, Parrott said.

"The damage is pretty widespread. It's just heartbreaking to see it," Parrott said.

tornado,tornadoes,missouri tornado,missouri,tornado warning,joplin missouri tornado aftermath,u.s. tornadoes tear through multiple states,super tornado joplin missouri,tornado aftermath,joplin missouri tornado,joplin missouri tornado footage,tornado destruction missouri,tornado missouri,joplin missouri tornado may11,joplin missouri tornado documentary,missouri tornado damage,super tornados in missouri,midwest tornadoes,joplin missouri tornado may 22 2011

Recommended