Tornadoes kill dozens of people in the US (VIDEOS)
A massive storm system has pummeled the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States since Friday
A series of tornadoes have killed dozens of people and injured many more across multiple US states over the weekend.
The extreme weather swept through the region beginning Friday, killing at least 29 people in Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia, and Indiana, according to local authorities. Dozens more have been reported injured.
“Deaths from the severe weather have now risen to 19, with the addition of one adult female from Russell County,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear wrote on X on Sunday. He added that at least three people injured in the storm remain in critical condition.
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— Distinguished Hillbilly ™️ (@Feral_Socrates) May 17, 2025
Only 20 mins away …. The town next to me here in Kentucky got leveled by a tornado last night ????️
If you wouldn’t mind taking a few seconds…. These people could use a prayer or two pic.twitter.com/6nIMwfNlNK
Videos of the aftermath show entire streets reduced to rubble, with some houses destroyed down to their foundations. Debris was scattered across wide areas.
At least seven people were killed in Missouri, two in Virginia, and one in Indiana, according to local officials.
BREAKING: At least 20 people killed by tornado in Laurel County, #Kentucky - mayor tells WKYT#lastdakika #storm #usa pic.twitter.com/UUwolnhdwu
— Last Dakika (@LastDakika) May 18, 2025
The disaster was “one of the worst storms” that St. Louis has ever faced, Mayor Cara Spencer told reporters on Saturday. Five of Missouri’s fatalities occurred in that city.
The massive weather system was made up of supercells – highly organized, long-lived thunderstorms capable of producing stronger winds and more severe damage than typical storms. Around Friday, the supercells generated tornadoes concentrated over parts of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky, The New York Times reported on Sunday.
As many as 26 tornadoes touched down, mostly affecting Kentucky and Indiana, the newspaper wrote, citing government forecasters. Parts of the US are still reeling from an even more severe tornado outbreak last month, which spawned 107 of the violent storms.