UPDATE: Oklahoma Tornado: 240 Injured, 24 Dead, ‘Horrific’ Damage (+video)
Photo Credit: APBy LAUREN EFFRON and DEAN SCHABNER. At least 20 of the 51 people killed by a devastating monster tornado that ripped through Moore, Okla., were children, the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner said this evening, as searchers picked through the rubble of schools, homes and businesses leveled by the storm.
Officials said they expect the total number of deaths to rise overnight as first responders continue to look for survivors. Two elementary schools were in the path of the tornado, but the medical examiner did not specify what school the deceased students attended.
Desperate parents stood around what was left of the devastated Plaza Towers Elementary School, many of them sobbing, as rescuers worked to help pull out school children and faculty.
“I know there’s a number of dead children from that school,” Oklahoma City Police spokesman Sgt. Gary Knight said.
Authorities said Briarwood Elementary School in Moore received a “direct hit” from the storm and was also destroyed, with its roof and walls blown off. Read more from this story HERE.
Authorities lower death toll to 24; number of injured hits 240, including 60 kids
Rescuers searched frantically for survivors Tuesday as the death toll from the massive tornado that leveled suburban Oklahoma City was dropped to 24.
The sharp decline from the original fatality list of 51 names was likely caused by double counting of victims, authorities said.
“We have got good news. The number right now is 24,” said Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer at the Oklahoma City Medical Examiner’s Office. She blamed the earlier high estimate on the large amount of “chaos” in the wake of the twister.
All but three of the bodies recovered have been identified and are being returned to their families, she said.
The number of injured was placed at 240, with 60 of them being children.
The National Weather Service gave a preliminary ranking of EF4 to the twister, meaning it is the second-most powerful type of tornado, with winds up to 200 mph. Read more from this story HERE.
