Over 300 dead in U.S. storms
Baku, April 30 (AZERTAC). Shocked Americans on Friday sifted through the rubble from the worst U.S. tornadoes in decades, which carved a trail of destruction across the south claiming at least 313 lives.
Communities like Alabama Governor Robert Bentley`s home town of Tuscaloosa were virtually wiped off the map, and officials warned the body count would rise as rescuers uncovered more dead in the debris, AFP reported.
Disbelief was written on faces across eight states crippled by the ferocious spring storms -- the deadliest tornado tragedy to strike the United States since 332 people were killed by a tornado outbreak on March 21, 1932.
Recalling the more recent horror of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, families picked through the remains of homes, businesses and schools, bearing witness to scenes of devastation more common in war zones or after earthquakes.
In Alabama, the worst-hit state, the toll reached 210, with more than 1,700 injured and up to a million people left without power.
U.S. President Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle were to travel to the state on Friday for a first-hand look at a still unfolding human tragedy.
The loss of life has been heartbreaking, especially in Alabama, Obama said, describing the disaster as nothing short of catastrophic.
According to The New York Times, thousands have been injured, and untold more have been left homeless, hauling their belongings in garbage bags or rooting through disgorged piles of wood and siding to find anything salvageable.
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