Storms ravage the Midwest; 3 dead

Violent storms tore through four Midwestern states, killing three people in northern Missouri, damaging hundreds of homes and leaving thousands without power.

At least two tornadoes touched down in Missouri’s Adair County on Wednesday night, authorities said. One destroyed 10 homes in the town of Kirksville, and more than 200 buildings across the county were damaged.

A couple living in a modular home died when their home “just exploded” from the force of the wind, said Adair County coroner Brian Noe.

Gustavo Ochoa, 47, a Bank of Kirksville vice president, and Alisha Brune, 29, were newly engaged and had bought the home two weeks ago, Noe said.

To the west in Sullivan County, a 56-year-old woman died when her mobile home was thrown about 40 feet by the storm, said emergency management director Rick Gardner.

The woman’s husband, who was working in his wood shop in an adjacent building, survived.

The Kirksville-area tornado was a half-mile wide and stayed on the ground for about a mile and a half, county officials said Thursday morning.

The twister scattered cars and glass across a car dealership.

The latest storms came less than a week after another batch of severe weather, including at least a dozen tornadoes, ravaged parts of southern Missouri. Those storms killed four people and damaged or destroyed several hundred homes.

The National Weather Service said at least five tornadoes touched down Wednesday in Oklahoma. Indiana and Illinois also were buffeted by violent storms.