This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22604251
The article has changed 20 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 4 | Version 5 |
---|---|
Deadly tornado rips through Oklahoma City suburbs | Deadly tornado rips through Oklahoma City suburbs |
(34 minutes later) | |
At least 37 people have been killed after a huge tornado tore though the Oklahoma City suburbs, with the death toll likely to rise, the Oklahoma chief medical examiner's office has said. | |
Nearly 60 people, including children, are being treated for injuries in hospitals around the town of Moore. | |
The tornado sparked fires, flattened houses, and destroyed schools on Monday afternoon. | |
On Sunday, two were killed and 21 hurt by tornadoes elsewhere in the state. | |
Monday's twister hit Moore, a suburb of about 55,000 people just south of Oklahoma City, and remained on the ground for about 45 minutes. | |
'Coming apart' | |
President Barack Obama has called Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin to offer assistance and has asked her to contact him directly if she needs additional help. | |
At the Plaza Towers Elementary School, children were being pulled out of the rubble alive soon after the storm. | |
James Rushing said the school, where his foster son Aiden is a pupil, was destroyed by the storm. | |
"About two minutes after I got there, the school started coming apart," he told the Associated Press. | |
Volunteers and rescue workers could be seen picking through the rubble in aerial news footage, which showed entire streets of houses levelled to their foundations. | |
Hospitals in the area said nearly 60 people had been injured, including more than a dozen children, the Associated Press news agency reported. | |
The National Weather Service (NWS) said Monday's tornado generated winds of up to 200mph (321km/h). | The National Weather Service (NWS) said Monday's tornado generated winds of up to 200mph (321km/h). |
"It's certainly the most powerful tornado that I've ever dealt with in my 20 years with the weather service," NWS meteorologist Rick Smith in Norman, Oklahoma, told the BBC. | "It's certainly the most powerful tornado that I've ever dealt with in my 20 years with the weather service," NWS meteorologist Rick Smith in Norman, Oklahoma, told the BBC. |
The town of Moore was hit by a severe tornado in May 1999, which had the highest winds ever recorded on earth. | The town of Moore was hit by a severe tornado in May 1999, which had the highest winds ever recorded on earth. |
But Betsy Randolph of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol told local news station Skynews 9 that the damage on Monday appeared to exceed that of the last devastating tornado. | But Betsy Randolph of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol told local news station Skynews 9 that the damage on Monday appeared to exceed that of the last devastating tornado. |
Tornadoes, hail and high winds also hit Iowa and Kansas, part of a storm system stretching from Texas to Minnesota. | Tornadoes, hail and high winds also hit Iowa and Kansas, part of a storm system stretching from Texas to Minnesota. |
On Sunday, a tornado smashed a trailer park on Highway 102 near Shawnee, Oklahoma. Oklahoma's state medical examiner confirmed on Monday that two people had been killed in the area. | On Sunday, a tornado smashed a trailer park on Highway 102 near Shawnee, Oklahoma. Oklahoma's state medical examiner confirmed on Monday that two people had been killed in the area. |
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. | Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. |
Read the terms and conditions | Read the terms and conditions |