|
National Weather Service has reported that at least 18 people are feared dead in Oklahoma and Missouri on Saturday, May 10, 2008 as tornadoes and severe weather hit the region. According to official sources, other tornadoes have been reported near McAlester and Haywood in southeaster Oklahoma. Weather officials have also revealed that a tornado touched down between Seneca and Neosho near the Missouri-Kansas border around 6 pm on Saturday. Ten people are so far reported dead in the Newton County in Missouri.
The tornado that spun across the Oklahoma-Missouri border trapped several people and mangled buildings on Saturday. The mining town of Picher in Oklahoma has so far borne the maximum brunt of the tornado. An emergency official in Picher has reported that a 24 street area of the town has been virtually destroyed. Brad Henry, Oklahoma Governor, has ordered National Guard troops to arrive in Picher by Sunday morning to help in rescue operations.
Michelann Ooten, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, revealed that there are a number of people unaccounted for in Picher. According to National Weather service, the vindictive weather was expected to continue overnight, moving east out of Missouri and Oklahoma into the southeastern states. Authorities in both Missouri and Oklahoma fear that there are more number of casualties than are presently known, caused by the tornado.
