'Could feel tornado's vibration': Storm batters Kentucky in US, kills at least 18
The storm ripped largely across rural area and extended to the London Corbin Airport shortly before midnight.
Extreme weather conditions swept across parts of the US Midwest and South, leaving several people dead, many of them from Kentucky, where the tornado destroyed homes and flipped a car on the interstate.
At least 18 people were killed and 10 were in critical condition due to the severe weather, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said on Saturday.
Seventeen of the fatalities were from Laurel County, while one was from Pulaski County. Among the dead was the 39-year-old veteran firefighter with the Laurel County Fire Department who was injured while responding to the weather.
Kayla Patter, a citizen who survived the storm, said that her husband and their five children were huddled in a tub in their basement. “You could literally hear just things ripping in the distance, glass shattering everywhere, just roaring like a freight train,” she said. While their house was spared, the neighbours' houses were demolished and covered with lumber, metal sheets and stray belongings. Meanwhile, the rescuers searched for survivors all night, and an emergency shelter was set up at a local high school.
Missouri pounded by storms, with deaths confirmed in St. Louis
In Missouri, the storm took the lives of seven people, the authorities said. This tornado was part of a larger system that spawned tornadoes in Wisconsin and brought a heat wave in Texas and a dust storm in Chicago.
In Clayton, Missouri, the tornado touched down in the area of Forest Park, home to the St. Louis Zoo and the site of the 1904 World's Fair and Olympic Games.
According to the weather service, supercells are likely to develop across parts of Texas and Oklahoma Saturday afternoon. Large to very large hail of up to 3.5 inches (8.9 centimetres) could develop. “Be prepared to take action if watches and warnings are issued for your area,” the weather service said.(With PTI inputs)
