The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Killer tornadoes hit central US
A TORNADO system has ripped through the central US and left at least 17 dead in a violent start to this year's storm season.
A tornado touched down on Sunday about 10 miles west of Little Rock, Arkansas, then carved an 80-mile path of destruction as it passed through or near several suburbs to the north.
It grew to be a half-mile wide and remained on the ground for much of that route, killing 16 people in that state.
The tornado was the largest of several produced by a powerful storm system that rumbled through the central and southern US.
Another twister killed a person in Quapaw, Oklahoma, before crossing into Kansas, destroying 60 to 70 homes and injuring 25 locals in the city of Baxter Springs.
Tornadoes also touched down in Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri.
“It turned pitch black,” said Mark Ausbrooks, who was at his parents’ home when the storm arrived. “I ran and got pillows to put over our heads and ... all hell broke loose.”