Alabama tornadoes leave 6 dead

.

Severe Weather Tornado
A Selma firefighter walks back the the truck after putting out a fire that started from a tornado that passed through downtown Selma, Ala., Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) Butch Dill/AP

Alabama tornadoes leave 6 dead

Video Embed

At least six people were killed Thursday after tornadoes swept through Alabama.

At least 12 others were severely injured, Ernie Baggett, Autauga County emergency management director told the Associated Press. The tornadoes hurled mobile homes into the air, some of which were inhabited at the time they were hit.

“It seems to have been a couple of different houses where people were at home,” Baggett said.

STRONG STORM AND TORNADOES LEAVE DEBRIS STREWN ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST IN ITS WAKE

Rescue crews cut through downed tree branches to rescue some of those injured, the emergency management director added.

“We have a lot of downed power lines,” Baggett said. “There is a lot of danger on the streets. It really did a good bit of damage. This is the worst that I’ve seen here in this county.”

The downed power lines meant that power was cut in most of the county, meaning the Selma City Council had to announce a state of emergency in a sidewalk meeting with cellphone flashlights.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The damage wasn’t entirely localized to Autauga County. Another death was recorded in Georgia when high winds toppled a tree onto a bus, Butts County Coroner Lacey Prue told the outlet. The winds were so severe that they even appeared to have knocked a freight train off its tracks.

The storm has caused roughly 50,700 customers to be without power in Georgia, while roughly 27,000 are without power in Alabama, according to PowerOutage.us.

© 2023 Washington Examiner

Related Content