USA: Tornadoes hit central U.S., killing at least 25

CHICAGO, (Xinhua): Tornadoes battered parts of the central areas of the United States on Sunday, killing at least 24 people in Joplin, a southern city of Missouri, and at least one person in Minneapolis.

There are 24 fatalities after a tornado hit Joplin and number of injuries is unknown, reported the local newspaper Springfield News-Leader, citing a Springfield-Greene County emergency official.

The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency said that the Regional Medical Center of St. John, a suburban city in St. Louis County, Missouri, was directly hit by the tornado and confirmed fatalities have been reported, but the exact number remained unknown.

In Minneapolis, one death has been confirmed while 29 others were injured and two of them were hurt critically.

Besides, a strong storm also caused significant damage in La Crosse, a city on the west of Wisconsin and there were no immediate reports of serious injuries.

The storm was part of a series that battered the Midwest on Sunday night. Tornado warnings and watches were posted from Texas to Michigan.

A small town in Kansas was stricken by a tornado on Saturday, which killed one person and destroying at least 20 homes.