US tornadoes kill at least 45
- 00:01:15
- ITN
US tornadoes kill at least 45
At least 45 people have died and more than 150 injured after tornadoes and thunderstorms ravaged several southern US states.The storms tore across Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi and Alabama, overturning trucks, trapping people, ripping up houses, smashing cars and uprooting trees.Tornado watches are also in effect for the Florida Panhandle, western Georgia and eastern Tennessee.Roger Erickson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said: "Based on reports from our local offices, the death toll now stands at 45."That is 26 in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas, one in Alabama and five in Kentucky."Emergency officials said 149 people were injured in Tennessee.A tornado struck the Columbia Gulf Transmission company in Hartsville, Tennessee, and set off a natural gas fire that lit up the sky, officials said.The twister also flattened the nearby home of one resident.Resident Dara Reasonover said: "It just took the house and everything and my horses and my dog. I don't know if they're alive or dead, but we'll make it."Earlier, Kentucky emergency officials put the death toll in their state at seven.Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said: "It's a pretty rough night in the scope of it. I don't know if I can remember when we've had as many (tornado) warnings and touchdowns."© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.
ITN | February 6, 2008
