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Missouri officials say tornado killed at least 89

JOPLIN, Missouri (AP) -- A massive tornado that tore through the southwest Missouri city of Joplin killed at least 89 people, but authorities warned that the death toll could climb Monday as search and rescuers continued their work at sunrise.

City manager Mark Rohr announced the number of known dead at a pre-dawn news conference outside the wreckage of a hospital that took a direct hit from Sunday's storm. Rohr said the twister cut a path nearly six miles (ten kilometers) long and more than a half-mile wide through the center of town.

Much of the city's south side was leveled, with churches, schools, businesses and homes reduced to ruins.

Fire chief Mitch Randles estimated that 25 to 30 percent of the city was damaged, and said his own home was among the buildings destroyed as the twister swept through this city of about 50,000 people some 160 miles (255 kilometers) south of Kansas City.

``It cut the city in half,'' Randles said.

An unknown number of people were injured in the storm, and officials said patients were scattered to any nearby hospitals that could take them.

A door-to-door search of the damaged area was to begin Monday morning, but authorities were expected to move gingerly around downed power lines, jagged debris and a series of gas leaks that caused fires around the city overnight.

``We will recover and come back stronger than we are today,'' Rohr said defiantly of his city's future.

St. John's Regional Medical Center appeared to suffer a direct hit from a tornado. The staff had just a few moments' notice to hustle patients into hallways before the storm struck the multistory building, blowing out hundreds of windows and leaving the facility useless.

In the parking lot, a helicopter lay crushed on its side, its rotors torn apart and windows smashed. Nearby, a pile of cars lay crumpled into a single mass of twisted metal.

Triage centers and shelters were set up around the city.

Emergency management officials rushed heavy equipment to Joplin to help lift debris and clear the way for search and recovery operations. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency, and President Barack Obama sent condolences to families of those who died in storms in Joplin and across the Midwest.

Jeff Lehr, a reporter for the Joplin Globe, said he was upstairs in his home when the storm hit but was able to make his way to a basement closet.

``There was a loud huffing noise, my windows started popping. I had to get downstairs, glass was flying. I opened a closet and pulled myself into it,'' he told The Associated Press. ``Then you could hear everything go. It tore the roof off my house, everybody's house. I came outside and there was nothing left.''

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, at least one person was killed and 30 others hurt. At least 100 homes were damaged, and a joint city-county team planned to be at the shelter Monday to begin assessing emergency housing needs.

(관련기사)

美 중부 토네이도 강타..최소 89명 사망



최근 미국의 남동부 지역에서 토네이도로 막대한 피해가 발생한 가운데 22일(이하 현지시각) 강력한 토네이도가 중부 지역 까지 강타해 최소 89명이 사망했다.

시 행정관 마크 로르는 이날 오후 발생한 토네이도로 미주리주(州) 남서부의 조 플린 지역에서 89명의 주민이 목숨을 잃은 것으로 확인됐다며 수색 구조 작업이  진 행되고 있어 사망자 총계는 늘어날 수 있다고 밝혔다.

미주리주 뉴턴 카운티의 검시관인 마크 브릿지는 한 사고 지점에서만 시신 11구 가 무더기로 발견됐다며 "사망자 수가 100명을 넘을 수도 있다"고 심각한 피해 상황 을 전했다.

이번 토네이도로 조플린 남부 지역에서는 병원, 교회, 학교, 가옥 등이  무너지 면서 폐허로 변했고, 시내 중심부로 향하는 도로 곳곳이 끊겼다고 당국은 전했다.

미주리주의 캔자스시티에서 남쪽으로 약 260km 떨어진 마을은 전화선이 대부분 끊긴 상태다.

현지 신문 조플린 글로브의 스콧 미커는 "마치 전쟁터 같다"며 "메모리얼 홀 병 원에서는 수백 명의 부상자가 치료를 받고 있다"고 전했다.

미주리주의 제이 닉슨 주지사는 비상사태를 선포하고 주(州)방위군을 동원해 피

해 상황을 복구하는 데 전력투구하고 있다.

미네소타주(州) 미니애폴리스에서도 이날 토네이도로 최소 1명이 사망했으며 약 30명의 주민이 부상해 병원으로 옮겨져 치료를 받는 것으로 전해졌다.

특히 부상자 중 2명은 중상인 것으로 알려져 추후 사망자 수가 늘어날 가능성도 있다.

위스콘신주(州)의 라크로스 지역도 토네이도가 발생하면서 주택의 지붕이  날아 가고 건물이 훼손됐다.

이에 따라 현지 당국은 구호팀을 곳곳에 파견, 부서진 건물 잔해더미에 묻힌 주 민들을 구조하기 위한 수색작업을 진행하고 있다.

지난 4월 말 미 남동부 지역을 휩쓸었던 토네이도는 최근 중부지방으로 북상해 기승을 부리고 있다.

앞서 21일에는 캔자스주(州)의 동부 지역에서 야구공만 한 우박을 동반한  토네 이도가 발생해 최소 1명이 숨지고 주택 20여채가 파괴됐다. (연합뉴스)

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