32 Dead, Hundreds Injured in Devastating US Storm

2025-03-17 12:01:20.642

At least 32 people across five states have died and dozens more are injured after a violent storm system swept across the country, slamming the Mississippi Valley and Deep South. A brutal combination of tornadoes, severe storms and whipping winds has left at least 12 dead in Missouri, the Associated Press reports. Another eight died in Kansas on Friday in a highway pile-up involving 50 vehicles amid a dust storm. Mississippi’s governor also reported six dead after the state was rocked by tornadoes, severe storms and even an earthquake late Saturday. The Texas Department of Public Safety reported three deaths in three separate car crashes due to low visibility and high winds after a dust storm ripped through the state Friday. Another three people also died in Arkansas amid the storms. One man was killed after a tornado tore apart his home. Governors of Arkansas, Georgia, and Mississippi have each declared states of emergency. Nearly 250,000 Americans are without power across as of Sunday morning, according to poweroutage.us. Three have died in Texas in car crashes as a result of the dust storm, with one car pileup including an estimated 38 vehicles. Fires are also devastating Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Kansas. In some Oklahoma communities, officials ordered locals to evacuate as more than 130 fires were reported across the state, the Associated Press reported. At a press conference Saturday, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt said nearly 300 homes were damaged and more than 170,000 acres had burned due to the fires.