Emergency personnel walk through a neighbourhood severely damaged by a tornado near the Joplin Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Missouri. Source: AP
- Tornado kills at least 89 in Missouri
- Destroyed town of Joplin worst hit
- Rescuers say 75pc of city "virtually gone"
THE death toll from a violent tornado that smashed through Joplin, Missouri, in the US is expected to climb to more than 100.
The death toll from a violent tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri, was expected to rise sharply as officials worked through the debris of ruined buildings and upturned vehicles strewn across flattened neighborhoods.
The official toll has been revised up to 89, from the initial toll of 24 reported earlier.
City manager Mark Rohr said the emergency effort of 410 personnel from 40 agencies would "continue through the next couple of days at least," with crews preparing to go door-to-door from first daylight to account for the public.
"I anticipate we still do have some people trapped in structures," officials said at a news conference.
"It's important we get them out of entrapments as soon as we can and get them food and water. It's time-sensitive and why we're doing a big push this morning to get it done."
The city, south of Kansas City, was the worst affected by a series of storms that swept through the Midwest, with fires blazing at a roofless hospital and retail stores reduced to rubble.
"We are responding aggressively, quickly," said Governor Jay Nixon as he declared a state of emergency.
"We want to make sure as the night goes on that we're saving lives between now and dawn," he told CNN. "There are a number of injuries. It's going to be a long night and a difficult recovery."
The discoveries were likely to be grim with rescuers estimating that 75 per cent of the city, whose population is 50,000, was "virtually gone" after taking a direct hit from the tornado.
"We have had confirmation of a number of deaths. And the number appears to be rising," he added.
The Springfield News-Leader earlier reported an official saying there were 24 dead and The Weather Channel also said two dozen were dead.
City spokeswoman Lynn Onstot said officials were "afraid (the death toll) may be more" than 24, KSPR reported. "Our fear is that's a low number," she said.
The Weather Channel also reported that mobile morgues were being set up to deal with multiple fatalities.
John Miller, a freelance photographer for the Springfield News-Leader, said he saw severe damage across a large area of Joplin and at least one dead body.
"The Home Depot is levelled," he said. "The Walmart is destroyed. Gas stations, buildings. Everywhere I could see was either heavily damaged or completely destroyed."
Television images showed that almost every window of the multiple-story St. John's Regional Medical Center was blown out by the tornado, and KSHB-TV reported there were fires throughout the building. There were also fears that broken gas lines in the building might cause an explosion.
The hospital evacuated almost 100 patients to nearby hospitals and were unable to treat anyone hurt in the tornado, due to damage to the facility, The Kansas City Star reported.
A man living almost 70km away from the hospital told KOAM-TV that debris from the building - such as medical supplies and X-rays - was found in his yard, such was the force and range of the storms.
President Barack Obama sent his "deepest condolences" to victims of the tornadoes as he headed to Ireland on Monday to begin a six-day state visit of Europe.
"Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in the tornadoes and severe weather that struck Joplin, Missouri as well as communities across the Midwest today," President Obama said in the statement released by the White House.
"We commend the heroic efforts by those who have responded and who are working to help their friends and neighbors at this very difficult time.
"At my direction, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is working with the affected areas' state and local officials to support response and recovery efforts, and the federal government stands ready to help our fellow Americans as needed."
A number of other people were injured after tornadoes hit parts of Minnesota, including a twister in Minneapolis which was blamed for the death of a man, myFOXtwincities.com reported.
There were reports of gunfire and looting in storm-damaged sections of the north side of Minneapolis and the city issued a curfew, effective from 9pm Sunday to 6am Monday.
The weather service issued tornado watches in Illinois, Iowa and other states as potentially severe storms advanced across the Midwest.
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