ABC News: Rescue workers today searched for victims of fierce storms that ripped through several Midwestern states this weekend, killing at least 89 people in Joplin, Mo., where a devastating tornado touched down and left trapped survivors still crying out for help this morning. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Sunday evening and activated the Missouri National Guard in response to the destruction.St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Mo., was fully evacuated after it took a direct hit from the tornado. Every window in the facility was blown out and the roof was torn off. Seven people have been reported dead at a nursing home, according to police reports. In the city of about 50,000 people 160 miles south of Kansas City, the tornado was reported to be a mile wide, with winds of nearly 200 mph that ravaged the area.
Authorities estimate 25 to 30 percent of Joplin has been damaged by the tornado, with highly populated areas having been hit by the storm. Cries could be heard early this morning from people trapped below the wreckage, while crews have been pulling out bodies and lining them up in the streets for loved ones to identify, according to ABC News affiliate KODE.
There is fear of gas explosions in the storm's aftermath and authorities are telling people not to light any cigarettes because so many gas pipes are broken, causing concern that what's left of Joplin might go up in flames, KODE reported….
NOAA photograph of a tornado
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