Three winners share $1.6bn US lottery Powerball jackpot

An eye-popping and unprecedented Powerball jackpot whose rise to $1.6bn (€1.47bn) became a USA national fascination will be split three ways.

The winners’ identities remain a mystery, but they bought their tickets in Florida, Tennessee and a Los Angeles suburb.

The winners of the world-record jackpot overcame odds of 1 in 292.2m to land on the numbers drawn on Wednesday night, 4-8-19-27-34 and Powerball 10.

They can take the winnings in annual payments spread over decades or a smaller amount in a lump sum.

The California ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven in Chino Hills; the winning ticket in Tennessee was sold in Munford, north of Memphis; and the winning Florida ticket was sold in Melbourne Beach.

The California store and its surrounding strip mall immediately became a popular gathering spot in the usually quiet suburb of 75,000 people.

Hundreds of people, from news crews to gawkers, crowded the store and spilled into its car park.

They cheered for TV cameras as if it were New Year’s Eve or a sporting event.

Many chanted “Chino Hills! Chino Hills!” in celebration of the city.

“It’s history. We’re all so excited for our city,” Rita Talwar, 52, who has lived in Chino Hills for 30 years, told the local newspaper, the San Bernardino Sun.

The 7-Eleven will get a $1m bonus for selling the winning ticket, a lottery spokesperson said.