At least 23 dead as tornadoes, severe storms ravage central US

Devastating tornadoes and severe storms swept through the central United States over the weekend and resulted in at least 23 fatalities acrossKentucky,Alabama,Oklahoma andArkansas.

US President Joe Biden spoke with the governors of the affected states on Monday (May 27) and expressed condolences for the lives lost. “The Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the ground conducting damage assessments with state and local counterparts," reports said quoting the White House.

The storms damaged power lines and caused widespread power outages affecting nearly 300,000 residents across seven states.

Kentucky was one of the hardest-hit states. Governor Andy Beshear confirmed the deaths of five individuals in the storms that gripped central USover the three-day Memorial Day weekend and was expected to continue into Monday as well.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear earlier issued a State of Emergency "to ensure the communities impacted have the resources they need to respond."

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The town of Charleston faced devastation, with video footage revealing cars tossed into debris piles and homes reduced to ruins. National Weather Service is assessing the extensivedamagethe town sustained due to the tornadoes.

Valley View in Cooke County, Texas, also saw the tragic loss of seven of its residents. Sheriff Ray Sappington confirmed the death tally after the destruction wrought by the storm.

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Oklahoma also faced severe impacts, with two fatalities and several injuries reported.

The National Weather Service survey teams identified severe damage in Claremore, classifying the tornado as at least an EF3.Arkansas saw at least eight deaths due to the severe weatherwhich uprooted trees in the state.

Tornado watch effective

The Storm Prediction Centre issued a tornado watch effective until 11 pm ET for over 16 million people in several regions, including Washington, DC, parts of North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.

Moreover, a severe thunderstorm watch affecting more than 30 million people in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey remained in effect until 9 pm ET.

The recent extreme weather follows closely on the heels of a powerful tornado that devastated an Iowa town and resulted in four fatalities.

(With inputs from agencies)