At least 21 fatalities have been reported after tornadoes swept across sections of two US states.
There had been 14 fatalities from severe weather, according to officials in Kentucky, while seven were killed in Missouri, five of them in the city of St Louis.
Tornado Strikes in Kentucky Laurel County of US
The Kentucky tornado hit in Laurel County, south-east of the state, early on Saturday morning. Officials reported that they were anticipating an increase in the death toll.
Missouri officials reported 5,000 buildings damaged, roofs blown away and power lines brought down as a tornado hit on Friday.
Power Outages and Search Efforts in St Louis, US
Some 100,000 homes in St Louis lost power and the fire department reported house-by-house searching of the worst-hit districts.
Offcials in Kentucky indicated there were also critical injuries noted. “The search is ongoing in the damaged area for survivors,” Laurel County Sheriff John Root tweeted.
Tornado Path Identified Near Forest Park, St Louis
National Weather Service radar indicated the tornado came down just after 14:30 local time in the western part of the city near Forest Park which has St Louis Zoo and where the 1904 Olympic Games were staged.
St Louis Fire Department reported that three individuals were rescued after part of the nearby Centennial Christian Church fell in. One of the individuals was killed.
Curfews Imposed in Heavily Affected Areas
There was a curfew from 21:00 to 06:00 local time in the two neighborhoods where most of the destruction occurred, to avoid injury by debris and minimize the possibilities of looting.
St Louis Mayor Cara Spencer commented: “The loss of life and the devastation is so, so horrendous.”.
“We’re going to have a lot of work to do in the coming days. There is no doubt there, but tonight we are focused on saving lives and keeping people safe and allowing our community to grieve.”
The US National Weather Service said tornadoes also hit neighbouring Illinois, with more severe weather conditions stretching eastwards to the Atlantic coast.
