At least five deaths as tornadoes strike US

Dozens of tornadoes tore through parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa overnight and one twister killed at least five people early yesterday as storm sirens failed to sound in an Oklahoma town and caught people unaware.

Storms skipped across what is often called “Tornado Alley” in the US Central and Southern Plains and more were forecast. But casualties appeared limited because many of the twisters hit sparsely populated areas, and during daylight hours or evening when people were still awake.

In Oklahoma, a twister struck the northwest city of Woodward early yesterday morning after lightning apparently disabled its storm warning system, Mayor Roscoe Hill said.