At least 23 people have died and dozens more have been injured after a tornado ripped through rural areas of western Mississippi (United States) this Friday night, according to the Emergency Management agency of that state.
“We can confirm 23 dead, dozens injured, 4 missing from the tornadoes last night. We have numerous local and state search and rescue teams that continue to work this morning,” the agency reported on its Twitter account this Saturday. “Unfortunately”, the account added in another message, “these figures are expected to change” as new information becomes available.
Search and rescue operations are currently underway in Sharkey and Humphreys counties (in the west of the state), according to information from this agency.
Absolutely unreal damage in Rolling Fork. What a wild night please keep all these towns in your thoughts! #mswx pic.twitter.com/eabD2ts4Mo
—Stephanie Cox (@Stormwatcher771) March 25, 2023
The scenes left behind by the tornado are bleak. Fallen trees and rubble that block the roads, houses and buildings practically destroyed, without walls, without roofs, as can be seen in various videos of the place.
“The city no longer exists”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said a shocked Rolling Fork resident Brandy Showah, to CNN. “There used to be a city here, and now it’s gone,” she said.
The governor of the state, Tate Reeves, has lamented on Twitter the losses caused by this meteorological disaster and has sent his condolences to the families and friends of the victims.
At least twenty three Mississippians were killed by last night’s violent tornadoes. We know that many more are injured. Search and rescue teams are still active.
The loss will be felt in these towns forever. Please pray for God’s hand to be over all who lost family and friends.
— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) March 25, 2023
The epicenter of the destruction appears to be in the town of Rolling Fork, population 2,500, located in Sharkey County.
“Much of the city has been destroyed,” including all the businesses on a commercial and retail stretch of a local highway, former city mayor Fred Miller has acknowledged on Fox.
Some 100,000 homes in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee were still without power as of early Saturday, according to Power Outage.
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