US news: Strong tornado claims 27 lives in Midwest, hundreds of homes damaged amid severe weather | Top updates

At least 27 people have lost their lives due to powerful storm systems that swept through parts of the US Midwest and South. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced on Saturday that 18 of the fatalities occurred in his state, with an additional 10 individuals hospitalised in critical condition, according to AP.

Here are the top ten updates:

1. A strong tornado tore through Kentucky, causing widespread destruction—damaging homes, overturning vehicles, and leaving many residents without shelter. Of the 18 confirmed deaths in the state, 17 occurred in Laurel County in southeastern Kentucky, AP reported.

2. Parts of two dozen state roads were closed, and some could take days to reopen, Beshear said. He also said the death toll could still rise. “We need the whole world right now to be really good neighbours to this region,” the governor said.

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3. State Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson reported that hundreds of homes were damaged by the storm. According to the sheriff's office, rescue teams worked through the night and into the morning in search of survivors.

4. In Missouri, St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer confirmed that five people were killed, 38 injured, and over 5,000 homes were impacted by the storm. “The devastation is truly heartbreaking,” she said during a Saturday news conference. In response to the widespread damage, an overnight curfew remained in effect for the most severely affected neighbourhoods.

5. According to the National Weather Service, radar data indicated a likely tornado touched down between 2:30 p.m. and 2:50 p.m. in Clayton, a suburb of St. Louis. The suspected tornado hit the area around Forest Park, a historic location that houses the St. Louis Zoo and was the site of both the 1904 World’s Fair and Olympic Games.

Each year, approximately 1,200 tornadoes occur across the United States, with confirmed reports from all 50 states over time.

A 2018 study revealed a shifting trend: while deadly tornadoes were once most common in the traditional "Tornado Alley" — encompassing Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas — they are now occurring more frequently in the mid-South.

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This region, which includes parts of states like Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi, is more densely populated and characterised by tree-covered landscapes, increasing the potential for destruction and complicating emergency response efforts, AP reported.

(With inputs from AP)