At least 19 dead in Oklahoma, Missouri tornadoes

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - At least 19 people were killed in Missouri and Oklahoma when tornadoes and violent storms ripped through the central and southeastern United States, devastating neighborhoods and injuring hundreds, officials said on Sunday.

The National Weather Service reported six deaths in Oklahoma and 13 in Missouri but those tolls may rise.

"The numbers picked up after first light," said Susie Stonner of Missouri Emergency Management. "We are still doing search and rescue. There are reports of missing people."

The severe weather, which started along the border between Kansas and Oklahoma on Saturday, moved into Georgia on Sunday.

In Missouri's Newton County on the border with Oklahoma, 10 people were killed. Hardest hit was Racine, a tiny community about 270 km south of Kansas City.

Initial reports from storm survey crews on Sunday showed a path of destruction 1.6 km wide in some places, said Jason Schaumann, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Missouri.

"This looks like a very large tornado," he said. "We've got indications of cars that were thrown a quarter to a half mile, and frame homes that were swept off their foundations."

Damage on the ground indicated an EF3 tornado, which would have estimated wind speeds of 219 to 266 kph, the meteorologist said.

Media reports put the number of injured people at 150 in Oklahoma and nearly 100 in Missouri, although those numbers are expected to rise.