Tornado - Kansas, US: A tornado that struck parts of Kansas destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes and buildings, injuring many and leaving more than 15,000 people without power, officials said Saturday.
In addition to debris from the tornado, three students at the University of Oklahoma Meteorology were also killed in an accident Friday evening while chasing the storm in Kansas, according to officials.
Nicholas Nair, 20, of Denton, Texas; Gavin Short, 19, of Grayslake, Illinois; Drake Brooks, 22, of Evansville, Indiana, died in an accident just before 11:30 p.m. Friday, reports.
The report said all three were in a vehicle being driven south by Nair on Interstate 35 when the vehicle hydroplaned and collided with a tractor-trailer rig in Tonkawa, about 85 miles (137 kilometres) north of Oklahoma City.
A statement issued by OU said: “The University is devastated to learn about the tragic demise of three students. Each was a valued and loved member of our community."
According to officials, more than 1,000 buildings were affected by a strong twister in Andover on Friday evening.
In broad daylight on Saturday, emergency workers found a more extensive path of destruction than previously estimated.
Andover Deputy Fire Chief Mike Roosevelt said at a briefing, "We now know that our damage path has extended about 3 1/2 to 4 miles (5.6 to 6.4 kilometres) north of where we believed it was last night." had finished."
Despite the widespread destruction, no casualties or serious injuries were reported from the tornado itself. Officials said only a few injuries were reported. Three people, including a woman, seriously injured, were injured in Sedgwick County.
Search and rescue operations continued on Saturday with more than 200 emergency responders from 30 agencies. Officials kept volunteers away from the damage until a secondary search of the debris.
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