Surveying the storm damage in Harrisburg, Illinois. Seth Perlman/AP/Press Association Images
Storms

12 killed in severe US storms

Winds of up to 270 kph tore through neighbourhoods, destroying homes in the Midwest and killing at least 12 people.
1.50pm, 1 Mar 2012
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AT LEAST 12 PEOPLE have been killed in a series of severe storms in the US Midwest yesterday.

The storm system started over Kansas before moving eastward across five more states, killing six people in one incident in the Illinois town of Harrisburg when a block of houses were destroyed.

The Chicago Tribune reports that wind speeds in Harrisburg reached 270 kph. The storms have since dissipated but they caused significant damage to the towns and villages in its wake.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has declared a state of emergency in Harrisburg.

Meanwhile in Missouri, Governor Jay Nixon has also declared a state of emergency following last night’s storms which killed three people in his state. He said that the “state of Missouri will assist at every stage” of the emergency response and recovery efforts.

12 killed in severe US storms
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  • Midwest Weather

    Emergency responders work to clear debris in a neighbourhood in Harrisburg, Illinois, after an early morning tornado. (AP Photo/Stephen Lance Dennee/PA Images)

  • Midwest Weather

    Windows are blown out of a Hilton hotel in downtown Branson, Missouri. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein/PA Images)

  • Midwest Weather

    Construction workers lift a piece of sheet metal off of classic cars in a storm-damaged display room at Branson Auto World in Branson, Missouri. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein/PA Images)

  • Midwest Weather

    Emergency responders drive through a tornado damaged portion of Harrisburg on 29 February. (AP Photo/Stephen Lance Dennee/PA Images)

  • Midwest Weather

    People try to salvage what they can after a tornado destroyed homes in their Harrisburg neighbourhood. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman/PA Images)

  • Midwest Weather

    Scientists said the tornado which struck Harrisburg was 200 yards wide with winds up to 270 kph. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman/PA Images)

  • Midwest Weather

    Margaret Shimkus, 61, talks with an emergency responder about her condition at her home in Harrisburg. She had taken refuge in her bathtub and escaped the storm with minor injuries. (AP Photo/Stephen Lance Dennee/PA Images)

  • Midwest Weather

    A prosthetic leg found among the debris caused by a tornado that ripped through Harrisburg, Illinois. (AP Photo/Robert Ray/PA Images)
  • Emergency responders work to clear debris in a neighbourhood in Harrisburg, Illinois, after an early morning tornado. (AP Photo/Stephen Lance Dennee/PA Images)
  • Windows are blown out of a Hilton hotel in downtown Branson, Missouri. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein/PA Images)
  • Construction workers lift a piece of sheet metal off of classic cars in a storm-damaged display room at Branson Auto World in Branson, Missouri. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein/PA Images)
  • Emergency responders drive through a tornado damaged portion of Harrisburg on 29 February. (AP Photo/Stephen Lance Dennee/PA Images)
  • People try to salvage what they can after a tornado destroyed homes in their Harrisburg neighbourhood. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman/PA Images)
  • Scientists said the tornado which struck Harrisburg was 200 yards wide with winds up to 270 kph. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman/PA Images)
  • Margaret Shimkus, 61, talks with an emergency responder about her condition at her home in Harrisburg. She had taken refuge in her bathtub and escaped the storm with minor injuries. (AP Photo/Stephen Lance Dennee/PA Images)
  • A prosthetic leg found among the debris caused by a tornado that ripped through Harrisburg, Illinois. (AP Photo/Robert Ray/PA Images)

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