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The death toll from a monster tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri, rose to 125 on Wednesday after an overnight search turned up more bodies but no new survivors, authorities said.
In nearby states, meanwhile, the toll from tornadoes that struck late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday rose to 10, with confirmation from Arkansas officials of three deaths there. Earlier five deaths had been confirmed in Oklahoma and two in Kansas by officials in those states.
A fresh line of tornadoes and thunderstorms had rumbled through the Midwest again overnight.
Joplin was spared another tornado, but still experienced harsh weather as search teams pressed on following the monster tornado that devastated the town of 50,000 on Sunday.
Using cadaver dogs and heavy equipment, they sought both the living and the dead amid the wreckage of homes, business, schools and churches.
About 1,500 people have been reported missing and some 750 people were injured, according to authorities.
Authorities said on Wednesday that the Joplin tornado was upgraded to an EF-5, or the highest rating possible on the Enhanced Fujita scale of tornado power and intensity. The Joplin tornado had previously been rated as an EF-4.
EF-5 tornadoes are rare in the United States but already this year there have been at least four -- two in Mississippi, one in Alabama last month, and Joplin. They are so destructive that experts said they can turn a house into an aerial missile.
The storms killed at least seven people and injured many more as tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma, Kansas and into Arkansas.
In nearby states, meanwhile, the toll from tornadoes that struck late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday rose to 10, with confirmation from Arkansas officials of three deaths there. Earlier five deaths had been confirmed in Oklahoma and two in Kansas by officials in those states.
A fresh line of tornadoes and thunderstorms had rumbled through the Midwest again overnight.
Joplin was spared another tornado, but still experienced harsh weather as search teams pressed on following the monster tornado that devastated the town of 50,000 on Sunday.
Using cadaver dogs and heavy equipment, they sought both the living and the dead amid the wreckage of homes, business, schools and churches.
About 1,500 people have been reported missing and some 750 people were injured, according to authorities.
Authorities said on Wednesday that the Joplin tornado was upgraded to an EF-5, or the highest rating possible on the Enhanced Fujita scale of tornado power and intensity. The Joplin tornado had previously been rated as an EF-4.
EF-5 tornadoes are rare in the United States but already this year there have been at least four -- two in Mississippi, one in Alabama last month, and Joplin. They are so destructive that experts said they can turn a house into an aerial missile.
The storms killed at least seven people and injured many more as tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma, Kansas and into Arkansas.