Deadly tornado hits Oklahoma
A deadly tornado has torn through an Oklahoma City suburb, killing dozens of people and injuring many more. The storm destroyed entire blocks of homes and trapped dozens of school children beneath debris.
Disaster strikes
Rescuers were working to reach survivors into early Tuesday morning after a tornado with winds reaching speeds of up to 200 mph (320 kilometers) devastated the city of Moore, just south of Oklahoma City on Monday.
Dozens killed
The storm killed at least 91 people, including 20 children, the state medical examiner said. It is the deadliest tornado in the US since 161 people were killed in Joplin, Missouri two years ago.
A dark grey funnel
Video footage showed the dark grey funnel tearing through the Midwest region known as "Tornado Alley," shattering homes and spinning up shards of wood, glass and roof shingles into the air.
Twister terror
Less than 1 percent of all tornados reach the speed of Monday's storm in Moore, which destroyed multiple city blocks and crumpled cars and trucks. The National Weather Service said the twister was an EF-4 on the Fujita scale, the second-most powerful type of tornado.
'Tornado Alley'
The National Weather Service said the probability of more tornados was high as the storm made its way east, forecasting severe weather in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas. The town of Moore was also hit by a record-breaking tornado in 1999. That storm, which killed 44 people, had the highest winds ever recorded at the earth's surface at 302 mph.
Rescue efforts continue
Police Capt. Dexter Nelson said downed power lines and open gas lines remained a danger Monday evening. Working into the night, rescuers used jackhammers and sledgehammers to make their way through the debris.