Deadly tornadoes hit US
2006-03-12 18:36
St Mary - Tornadoes in Missouri and Illinois killed two people whose pick-up truck was blown into a propane tank as the twisters flattened homes along a 30km path, officials said on Sunday. Several others were injured.
The worst damage was along a highway about 130km south of St Louis, Missouri, where the victims had been driving late on Saturday, emergency management director Jack Lakenan said. The force of the wind wedged the truck beneath the propane tank, he said.
The tornado also split a brick ranch home in half, tossed mobile homes, caved in garages and snapped dozens of trees. Several people were hurt; two were taken to a hospital in St Louis.
The highway patrol confirmed the tornado had winds between 180km/h and 330km/h. Heavy rain also prompted flash flood warnings in the region, and softball-sized hail damaged homes and downed power lines. The heaviest rainfall - 7.6 to 10cm - was reported about 160km east of St Louis in Illinois, Jon Carney of the National Weather Service said.
He said more severe weather is possible in the region through Sunday night.
- AP