Rescue crews were searching Tuesday for survivors and victims of a massive tornado that had devastated a suburb of Oklahoma City, grinding up entire neighborhoods and pulverizing two elementary schools.
The swath of destruction in Moore, Okla., was up to a mile wide and 20 miles long. The state medical examiner’s office told the Associated Press early Tuesday that at least 40 more bodies were expected, in addition to the 51 people already confirmed dead as a result of Monday afternoon’s storm.
“The phone calls just keep coming,” said Amy Elliot, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner’s office. She said 24 bodies had been taken to the medical examiner’s office in Oklahoma City, and most of those had been positively identified. Elliott said she could not say how many of the dead were children, or were from the obliterated Plaza Towers Elementary School.
Some youngsters were pulled from the rubble of that school on Monday, wet and dirty but alive. In television interviews, a few said teachers used their bodies to shield students from airborne debris. As darkness fell Monday, dozens of rescuers in hard hats continued to pick through the wreckage looking for children and staffers who were missing and could be trapped.
Families were told to convene at two churches to await reunification with their loved ones.
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