Joplin: The death toll from the powerful tornado that tore through the Missouri city of Joplin rose to 139 on Saturday after seven more victims were identified, the city said.
Sunday's tornado was rated an EF-5, or the strongest possible, and is already the deadliest single twister in the United States since 1947.
The tornado injured more than 900 people, and officials said that number could be higher because some people did not go to hospitals. More than a hundred people are missing and unaccounted for, they said.
Authorities said 31 of the dead had been positively identified. Some of the bodies are in such bad shape that officials are using DNA, medical records, and even distinctive tattoos to identify victims.
The tornado scored a direct hit on the city of 50,000 people in southwest Missouri and left a swath of destruction nearly a mile (1.6 km) wide, damaging about 8,000 buildings.
President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit the traumatized city of 50,000 people on Sunday, following his return from a European trip.
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