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New Oklahoma tornadoes 'kill five' | New Oklahoma tornadoes 'kill five' |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A new series of tornadoes has swept through the US state of Oklahoma, killing at least five people, including a mother and child, officials say. | |
The tornadoes struck near the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, where 24 people were killed by a violent tornado nearly two weeks ago. | The tornadoes struck near the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, where 24 people were killed by a violent tornado nearly two weeks ago. |
The latest storm struck during Friday's evening rush hour, trapping many people in cars and causing traffic chaos. | |
More than 60,000 homes lost power and heavy rain has caused severe flooding. | More than 60,000 homes lost power and heavy rain has caused severe flooding. |
Many streets were flooded - up to 4ft (1.2 m) in some places. | |
'Power flashes' | |
A police spokeswoman said the mother and child who died were in their car on a major highway - Interstate 40 - near Oklahoma City. | |
Dozens of lorries were overturned on the highway. | |
Amy Elliott, a spokeswoman for Oklahoma's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, said that two of the deaths occurred in Union City and one was in El Reno, west of Oklahoma City. | Amy Elliott, a spokeswoman for Oklahoma's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, said that two of the deaths occurred in Union City and one was in El Reno, west of Oklahoma City. |
Dozens of people have been hurt, with five of them in a critical condition. | |
Among those who took to the roads to flee the storm was 30-year-old Brandi Vanalphen. | |
"What got me scared was being stuck in traffic with sirens going off," she said. | |
"I started seeing power flashes to the north... I started driving on the shoulder. People started driving over the grass." | |
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said: "For reasons that are not clear to me, more people took to the roads, more than we expected. Everyone acted differently in this storm, and as a result, it created an extremely dangerous situation. | |
"I think we are still a little shaken by what happened in Moore. We are still burying children and victims, so our emotions are still strong," he added. | |
Meteorologists said the tornadoes were less severe than those that struck in May. | |
Oklahoma is in part of the US Midwest known as Tornado Alley. Some 1,200 tornadoes strike each year, though most are relatively small. | |
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