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US-WEATHER-TORNADO-MISSOURI
Three killed as violent tornado strikes Missouri
WASHINGTON, May 23, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – At least three people have been killed
in a violent tornado sweeping across the US state of Missouri, officials said
Thursday.
An emergency alert was issued for the state capital Jefferson City
advising people to take shelter as heavy rain, hail, wind and lightning
struck the state, along with neighboring Oklahoma and Kansas.
“Violent tornado confirmed — shelter now!” tweeted the National Weather
Service.
Three fatalities were confirmed in Golden City, 170 miles (270 kilometres)
southwest of Jefferson City, along with “several injuries” in nearby Carl
Junction, the Missouri Department of Public Safety said.
Extensive damage was reported in the state capital, with images posted on
Twitter by the department showing downed power lines and uprooted trees.
Emergency officials carried out door-to-door searches amid reports of
trapped residents, while authorities warned of flash flooding following the
heavy downpours.
Some 3,500 people were left without electricity following several outages
caused by the severe weather, power company Liberty Utilities Empire District
wrote on Facebook.
Tornado warnings remained in place outside St. Louis, in eastern Missouri,
early Thursday morning.
In neighboring Oklahoma, Tulsa mayor G. T. Bynum said residents close to a
dam on Keystone Lake were being encouraged to evacuate their homes due to the
risk of flooding.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1500 hrs