An early morning tornado killed at least seven people Wednesday in two towns in the mid-western states of Missouri and Illinois, dpa reported. The storm system continued moving south-east toward Kentucky, where tornado warnings were in effect until 8 pm (0000 GMT Thursday), according to weather experts. Hardest hit were Branson, Missouri, a well-known historic centre of US country music, and Harrisburg, Illinois, according to AccuWeather.com meteorologists. At least three of the deaths occurred in Harrisburg, where the editor of the local Daily Register, Terry Geese, told CNN that the twister also dropped debris that blocked roads to the hospital. Snow plows were called out to clear the roads. CNN showed footage of hospital rooms exposed to the outside. Geese said the hospital had evacuated an entire wing, but was still operating its emergency room.
