Tornados kill at least 20 in central US
'Pakistan Times' Wire Service

WASHINGTON: A series of powerful tornados swept across the US Great Plains late Saturday, killing at least 20 people in Oklahoma and Missouri, officials said.

Susie Stonner, spokeswoman for the Missouri department of emergency management, said there were 13 confirmed fatalities in her state and search-and-rescue operations were continuing.

Numerous tornadoes touched down in the evening hours, killing seven in the area near Picher, Oklahoma, the state department of emergency management said, adding that some 150 people were injured.

The state said that several homes and businesses were destroyed and power lines, utility poles and trees were downed by the winds.

"In some cases, only a home's concrete slab remains," it said in a statement.

The American Red Cross has opened shelters for those affected by the storms. Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry declared a state in emergency in the disaster area, and planned to visit it later Sunday.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Picher and all of the other Oklahoma communities that have been impacted by the latest wave of severe weather," Henry said while talking to a US-based news network.

National Guard troops were called to shut off access to Picher.●