Tornadoes slam US state of Oklahoma, for second day
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E-mail Xinhua, May 21, 2013
A tornado struck south of Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon, leveling blocks of homes and at least one elementary school, U.S. media reported.
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A man is seen during the wreckage in Shawnee, Oklahoma, the United States, May 20, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua] |
The tornado was estimated to be at least two miles wide at one point as it moved through Moore, Oklahoma, in the southern part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, according to CNN.
Areas of metropolitan Oklahoma City appeared to be in ruins Monday afternoon after the massive tornado moved through the region. "The houses are destroyed. ... Completely leveled," a helicopter pilot was quoted as saying. A school was among the buildings leveled by the tornado, though fortunately no injuries were reported. Video from CNN affiliates showed a funnel cloud stretching from the sky to the ground, kicking up debris.
Tornadoes also hit Oklahoma and the Midwest on Sunday. Officials said Monday that two people were killed and 21 others were injured by the tornadoes Sunday.
The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office had identified the two victims, both in the Oklahoma city of Shawnee, as 79-year-old Glen Irish and 76-year-old Billy Hutchinson. The U.S. National Weather Service placed parts of five storm- battered states, including Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas, under a tornado watch Monday afternoon, meaning tornadoes are likely to develop within the next few hours.
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