April 5 (Reuters) - Five people were killed in a predawn tornado that ripped through southeastern Missouri on Wednesday, shearing off roofs, splintering trees and taking down power lines in devastated Bollinger County, officials said.
First responders from multiple agencies combed through destroyed homes and businesses in the rural area that Missouri Governor Mike Parson said faces "a long journey ahead" toward recovery.
Five people were also injured and 87 structures damaged with 12 of those buildings destroyed, said Eric Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
"It's just heartbreaking to see people's homes missing roofs and their homes gone," Missouri State Patrol Highway Sergeant Clark Parrott told Reuters said after surveying the damage.
A week before, a tornado devastated the Mississippi Delta town of Rolling Fork, killing 26 people.