Daylight photos show scope of tornado damage in southeast Missouri, fatalities reported
By KMBC 9 News Staff
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GLENALLEN, Missouri (KMBC) — Strong thunderstorms produced strong winds and tornadoes across parts of Missouri late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol says search and rescue efforts are underway in southeast Missouri after a tornado touched down just west of Cape Girardeau.
MSHP Troop E shared a photo to its Twitter account says the patrol is assisting authorities in Bollinger County, along with multiple other local agencies, in those search and recovery efforts after the tornado in the Glenallen area.
Officials are asking the public to avoid the area and give first responders room to operate as they work to account for people missing after the overnight storms.
Troopers said injuries and fatalities have been confirmed.
“A tornado definitely touched down, there is damage to homes, we know that, there have been people injured, we don’t know the extent” or if there are fatalities, said meteorologist Justin Gibbs with the weather service in Paducah, Kentucky.
Gibbs said it appears initially that the tornado was on the ground for 15-20 miles (24-32 kilometers) in the area about 90 miles (145 km) south of St. Louis.
An initial ground survey from the National Weather Service found what they believe to be “high-end EF2 tornado damage” in the Glenallen Area. This puts the estimated peak winds around 130 miles per hour.
Authorities said Wednesday afternoon that five fatalities have been confirmed.
Authorities expect to release additional information as the search and rescue efforts continue.
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