Oklahoma tornado kills at least 24

USPA News - At least 24 people have been confirmed dead after a tornado ripped through the state of Oklahoma, local authorities said Tuesday. Monday`s powerful tornado swept through Moore, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City located just south of the state capital, during the afternoon.

As locals braced for the worse, search-and-rescue crews quickly began operations. Local authorities had initially placed the death toll at 51, but the state medical examiner later corrected it to 24. Among those killed were seven children. Spokeswoman Amy Elliot said most of the victims have already been identified, although their names were not immediately released. The mile-wide tornado damaged a number of buildings, including schools, and flattened out several neighborhoods. The exact number of injuries was not immediately known, but the OU Medical Hospital told local media outlets that it has received a total of 85 victims, including 50 children.