Dodelijke tornados treffen Carrolina Vs ( ruim 5 doden)

Tornado kills at least 5 in North Carolina


CNN) -- At least five people were killed Thursday when a tornado ripped through a mobile home park in this small town west of Wilmington, Columbus County Sheriff Chris Batten told emergency services officials.
Jennifer Long, with the Columbus County Emergency Services, said the sheriff's department was confirming that five people had died in the storm.
The sheriff said several mobile homes were demolished and others were torn off their foundations by the high winds.
Several people were injured and crews were searching for people who had been reported missing, a spokeswoman for the Columbus County Emergency Services said.
As many as 200 emergency personnel were on the scene, and dogs were searching for people who still might be trapped in the rubble.
Bob High, a reporter for the News Reporter newspaper, told CNN four bodies were found in woods adjacent to the neighborhood.
"They [the mobile homes] were obliterated. Some exploded, some were moved off their foundations," High said.
One couple was thrown from their home into a neighbor's yard by the strong wind, he said.
"We've been through hurricanes but never had this many people killed at one time," he said.

CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers said it appeared the tornado touched down on the western side of Columbus County around 6:30 a.m. ET and "was on the ground for some time."
Kelly O'Hara, a reporter for WECT, said the site looked like a debris field.
"Power lines are down, trees snapped, homes picked up and moved, two-story brick homes split in half," she said.
The homes that crews had already gone through were marked with an X in spray paint to show that no one was inside, she added.
In Wilmington, Red Cross spokeswoman Jana Zehner told CNN teams were being assembled to go to the area as soon as Columbus County Emergency Services officials determined it was safe.
There was still a tornado warning in the area.
Authorities blocked off roads leading to the site of the destruction, according to residents.
A man who answered the phone at a gas station on Highway 87 said the twister "just took a swath right out of that trailer park, right down the middle of it."
The storm left thousands without power, according to The Associated Press.
The same storm system tore through other Southern states on Wednesday.
High winds flattened a skating rink in Montgomery, Alabama, where more than 30 preschoolers were playing.
Two children suffered minor injuries when the building collapsed, according to authorities.
Police said four adults and 31 children were inside FunZone, which housed a skating rink, a daycare and play areas for kids