The tornado was at least a half-mile wide and had winds up to 200 mph.
Moore, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City, was hit by a tornado that the National Weather Service has classified as an EF-4 on the enhanced Fujita scale, the second most-powerful type of tornado in the world. Entire neighborhoods flattened, cars and trucks “crumpled” into nothing more than scrap metal. The Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner reports that at least 51 people, 20 0f them children, have been confirmed dead. And authorities state that more than 140 people are being treated at hospitals, 70 of those are reportedly children. Officials also said they expect those numbers to rise as more reports come in throughout the night.
Plaza Towers Elementary School was “reduced to a pile of twisted metal and toppled walls,” when it was hit by the massive twister. As the sun began to set, rescue workers were still digging through the rubble searching for dozens of students who were still trapped. Earlier Monday evening rescue workers were able to pull several children out of the debris, but crews were still struggling after dark, using floodlights to illuminate the scene. However, authorities are now describing the search as “a recovery, not a rescue, effort.”
UPDATE: The Oklahoma State Medical Examiner has revised the death toll from Monday’s devastating tornado. Spokeswoman Amy Elliot told reporters that she “believes some victims were counted twice in the early chaos of the storm. Downed communication lines and problems sharing information with officers exacerbated the problem.” The revised number is currently 24, with 7 of the reported deaths being children.
Teams continue to search in Moore, and Trooper Betsy Randolph, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said, “As long as we are here … we are going to hold out hope that we will find survivors.”
Photo: AP/Sue Ogrocki