US hit by series of tornadoes; 45 feared dead

North Carolina, Apr 18: Nature unleashed its fury when a deadly tornado struck parts of Central and Southern states of the United States over the past three days. A state of emergency has been declared in certain states in lieu of the situation. Saturday (Apr 16) saw deadly thunderstorms and tornadoes striking parts of North Carolina that led to massive destruction.

According to reports in local media, 15 towns in and around the central and eastern parts of the state have suffered damages .

Reports have emerged that three people lost their lives in the calamity, two in Ammon, north of Elizabethtown, and one person in Bladenboro. The figure was ascertained by the Bladen County Emergency Operations Centre. There are also reports of two dozen "significant injuries".

According to the National Weather Service, close to two dozen tornadoes struck southern states of Mississippi and Alabama on Friday, close to the heels of the 15 twisters that rammed Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. Corey Mead, a meteorologist with the National Storm Prediction Centre said, “This system has clearly had the most intense severe storms of the early spring season".

Popular news channel NBC TV reported that close to 45 people had died as a result of the fatal tornadoes. Such natural calamities are a permanent feature in the US between the months of March to early July. It typically moves from south to north over the course of the year.

OneIndia News