Joplin: There are now 40 people who remain unaccounted for a week after a massive tornado hit Joplin.
Mike O`Connell, spokesman for the Missouri Department of Public Safety, told The Associated Press on Sunday that the number of unaccounted "just dropped" to 40 because of the latest deceased whose next-of-kin have been notified. The number had stood at about 100.
More than 130 people have been reported killed in the storm that hit Joplin a week ago.
The tornado — an EF-5 packing 200 mph winds — injured more than 900 people. Tallying and identifying the dead and the missing has proven a complex and sometimes confusing exercise for authorities and loved ones.
President Barack Obama was traveling to Joplin on Sunday to visit with survivors and family members.
Bureau Report
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