Missouri tornado kills five in latest wave of severe weather

This photo provided by the Missouri State Highicway Patrol taken with a drone shows the damage. PIC/AP

A tornado ripped through southeastern Missouri before dawn on Wednesday, killing five people and causing widespread destruction as the third in a series of deadly massive storms over the past two weeks struck the nation's heartland.

Forecasters are keeping a wary eye out for more extreme weather as this year's early severe storm season continues. The storms have spawned dozens of tornadoes, mainly in the South and Midwest, that have killed at least 63 people. Just last weekend, confirmed or suspected tornadoes in at least eight states laid waste to neighbourhoods across a broad swath of the country.

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The Missouri tornado touched down around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday and moved through Bollinger County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of St. Louis. Trees were uprooted, homes turned into piles of splinters, and one building was flipped on its side. Five people were killed and five were injured, State Highway Patrol Superintendent Eric Olson said. Residents in the village of Glen Allen said at least some of the victims were members of a family who lived in a trailer along a state highway.

Olson said 12 structures were destroyed and dozens damaged. Justin Gibbs, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Kentucky, said the tornado remained on the ground for roughly 15 minutes, traveling an estimated 15-20 miles (24-32 km). Based on early data, the tornado received a preliminary EF-2 rating, packing wind speeds of 130 mph (228 kph).

8,00,000 lose power in Canada

Freezing rain and thunderstorms pummeled parts of Ontario and Quebec on Wednesday, knocking out power for about 8,00,000 people, officials reported. Quebec's power utility said shortly after 5 p.m. that more than 6,76,000 of its 4.5 million customers had no electricity as much of the province remained under a freezing rain warning. In Montreal, more than 3,16,000 customers had lost power, while 1,71,000 people were hit with outages in the Montérégie region, south of the city.

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No of people injured

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