Cars were thrown from Interstate 55 and one person died after a tornado touched down in Perryville, Missouri, Tuesday night.
Perryville police said one person is dead, 10 others injured, and everyone else is accounted for after the storm. They say about 10 homes were damaged in the Perryville city limits.
According to the National Weather service, the tornado was reported by emergency management crews in Perryville, Missouri, at around 8:10 p.m. The emergency manager reported cars thrown off I-55 near mile marker 133.
The report on the NWS website said a death and considerable damage were reported in the area.
Travis Koenig, a 24-year-old Perryville resident, was killed while driving on Interstate 55. He and a passenger were both thrown from the vehicle, but the passenger was not injured.
A spokesperson with the Missouri State Highway Patrol said the highway was closed in both directions due to the damage.
The tornado was first radar-indicated then reported by a trained weather spotter at around 8:20 p.m.
The Perry County Sheriff said many of the cars on the highway were not on the highway at the time. He said the cars were thrown from a garage of junk yard of some kind onto the road.
Perryville's mayor tells 5 On Your Side he knows of at least 15 houses wiped clean from their foundations, which is why it's pretty amazing only about a dozen people were hurt with only minor injuries.
The Perry County fire chief said some houses were completely collapsed by the storm.
I-55 is now open after being shut down for a majority of the night so crews could clean debris from the roadway.
Update from Perryville police: 1 person Killed, 10 others injured.no one unaccounted for.about 10 homes in city limits damaged. @ksdknews
— Ryan Dean (@RyanDeanKSDK) March 1, 2017
The Deputy Director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety said search and rescue teams were being dispatched to the area.
*Regarding #Perryville tornado.*
3 strike teams of State & regional Fire, Search & Rescue & EMS have been activated & are enroute. #MoWx
— Gregg Favre (@GreggFavre) March 1, 2017Perry County School District 32 canceled classes for March 1 due to the extensive damage in the area.
