5 people died in a tornado in Missouri, Central America

A tornado hit Missouri on Wednesday, killing at least five people, officials in the Central American state said.

• Read more: At least 32 people have died as severe thunderstorms and storms hit the US

• Read more: See | ‘I thought I was going to die,’ says survivor of powerful Arkansas tornado

“Five confirmed fatalities,” Missouri Transit Police spokesman Sergeant Clark Parrott told AFP.

Footage from the local Fox 2 channel showed trees uprooted and houses swept away in the village of Glenallen in the state’s southeast.

Several villages in Bollinger County “were affected by what appeared to be a significant tornado early this morning,” county Sheriff Casey Graham said, and confirmed five deaths.

“Throughout the morning and now, our search and assistance efforts are ongoing,” he continued on the Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

Tornadoes, weather phenomena that are difficult to predict, are common in the United States, especially in the center and south of the country.

Tornadoes and violent thunderstorms hit several US states last weekend, killing at least 32 people.

Tennessee has been hit particularly hard with 15 severe weather-related deaths, the southern state’s emergency management agency said Sunday.

A week ago, a tornado swept through Mississippi, killing 25 people and causing extensive property damage. President Biden was there.