There are at least 21, according to CNN, the victims of violent thunderstorms and one or more tornadoes that hit during the night on Mississippi ripping roofs off houses, devastating entire towns and causing severe blackouts for thousands of people.
Search and rescue operations are still ongoing, particularly in the cities of Silver City and Rolling Fork, the latter described by one resident as “completely destroyed”.
At least 13 dead are counted about 100 kilometers northwest of Jackson in Sharkey County, where it is located Rolling Fork, according to the county coroner. Three other people were killed and at least two are in serious condition in the county Humphreys. A tornado, after 20 local time (2 in the morning in Italy), moved at about 80 kilometers per hour, knocking down trees and taking off the roofs of houses.
Thousands of people were trapped in their homes and the power went out not only in Mississippi but also in Alabama and Tennessee. Some videos released on social media show trees and houses being knocked down, appliances and furniture washed away from homes by the water. The same “large and destructive” tornado, according to the National Weather Service, was reported near the community of Coila, which issued an additional warning for Rolling Fork, Silver City and neighboring Anguilla. There have been at least 11 reports of tornadoes in Mississippi and Alabama in the past 24 hours, according to the Center for Storm Forecasting.
It is not yet clear whether the disaster was caused by a single tornado or by multiple tornadoes. Mississippi – Governor Tate Reeves tweeted – has activated all available medical support services.
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