Mother and baby die in Oklahoma tornados
A mother and her baby were amongst nine people killed by tornados in Oklahoma on Friday – 11 days after the a major tornado flattened buildings in the city.
Violent thunderstorms across the state were producing several tornados – which threatened Oklahoma City and the suburb of Moore, ravaged by the two-mile wide tornado on 21 May.
The mother and baby died whilst travelling on Interstate 40, west of Oklahoma City, when their vehicle was picked up by the storm.
Two of the deaths occurred in Union City and one was in El Reno, west of Oklahoma City, said Amy Elliott, a spokeswoman for the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
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. Mick Cornett, Oklahoma City mayor
Between 40 and 50 people were being treated for storm-related injuries, including five patients in critical condition, among them a child.
National Weather Service meteorologists had earlier declared a tornado emergency for parts of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. One tornado touched down in Moore, which was hit by the massive EF-5 twister that killed 24 people.
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said more people than usual had taken to the roads following the announcement of the emergency.
“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,” he said.
“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.
On Thursday, storms in Oklahoma and Arkansas killed at least three people, including Scott County Sheriff Cody Carpenter.
Interstate 40 and the Will Rogers airport in Oklahoma were both shut down. The airport was used to shelter more than 1,000 people, local television reported.