Deadly Tornado Kills At Least 5 People In Rural Southeastern Missouri

A large destructive tornado killed at least 5 people as it ripped through parts of Southeastern Missouri early Wednesday.

Around 3:30 a.m. CST, a tornado touched down and spun across part of Bollinger County, about 50 miles south of St. Louis, causing widespread destruction and killing multiple people, Sgt. Clark Parrott of the Missouri State Highway Patrol told the Associated Press.

“The damage is pretty widespread,” Parrott said. “It’s just heartbreaking to see it.”

#tornado #damage from #glenallen #missouri #MoWx #drone pic.twitter.com/0DnGl277Yq

— WxChasing- Brandon Clement (@bclemms) April 5, 2023

Parrot said authorities have not yet confirmed the total number of casualties.

“This is an active search and rescue event,” he said, adding that crews have been cutting through trees and brush with chainsaws to reach trapped or damaged homes.

Bollinger County public administrator Larry Welker told The Associated Press the tornado moved along Route 34 into Glen Allen, where law enforcement has restricted access to the small village of approximately 100 people.

“I’m getting reports that it was pretty bad,” Welker said. “There [were] several trailers there, and I understand that there [are] still people missing.”

#tornado #damage in #Glenallen #MO looks to be a large damage path. Just getting first look, more to come. pic.twitter.com/pgrVLziiDn

— WxChasing- Brandon Clement (@bclemms) April 5, 2023

Justin Gibbs, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky, told CBS the tornado traveled for 15-20 miles at around 90 mph.

Survey teams from the weather service will assess the damage and determine the strength of the tornado, he added.

The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center told CBS roughly 40 million people across areas from Michigan to Tennessee were at risk for storms on Wednesday, including metropolitan areas like Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, and Memphis.

Dozens of deadly tornadoes and powerful storms ravaged the Midwest and South last weekend into the wee hours of Saturday, including one that collapsed the roof of an Illinois concert hall where hundreds were gathered for a performance.

At least 33 people were killed and dozens injured in the violent weather, which saw nearly two dozen tornadoes tear through parts of Illinois, Iowa, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Mississippi late Friday and early Saturday.

Just a week earlier, 26 people were killed in the South by tornadoes as a spate of deadly storms ripped through Arkansas and Mississippi. The town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, was devastated by the storms, which packed 170 mph winds.