New York, Europe Brief News – At least seven people have been killed after a deadly storm hit US southern states.
David Hill, sheriff for Autauga County, Alabama, confirmed that there were at least seven fatalities in the county.
Ernie Baggett, emergency management agency director in Autauga County, Alabama, said that about 40 homes were damaged or destroyed.
The tornado’s destruction traversed a path of about 20 miles in the communities of Old Kingston and Marbury, Baggett said.
Search and rescue operations were suspended at about 8 p.m. local time, Baggett said, but will resume Friday.
Autauga County, Alabama, is 41 miles northeast of Selma, which was also hard-hit by the tornado.
Authorities said a clearer picture of the extent of the damage and a search for additional victims would be possible on Friday, when clear conditions were expected.
TAKE A LOOK: A viewer sent this video of what looks like a tornado touching down near the airport and I-85 @FOX5Atlanta pic.twitter.com/iN0bLM6e3s
— Eric Perry (@Ericperrytv) January 12, 2023
A tornado touched down in Dallas County as well, ripping roofs off buildings and causing “significant damage”.
About 40,000 customers were without power in Alabama on Thursday night, which tracks outages nationwide.
The strong winds and heavy rain damaged homes and left tens of thousands of customers without power in parts of Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama.
There were multiple tornado warnings issued Thursday in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee as the storm system moved through the region.
