A passenger plane landed at Heathrow Airport in London, UK, on January 5, 2022, according to Reuters.
On Sunday, a plane crash in Butler, Missouri, resulted in the deaths of twelve individuals, the Missouri Highway Patrol announced on social media. The crash happened near Butler Memorial Airport.
Current reports confirm that all twelve people on board lost their lives. The victims included eleven skydivers and the pilot, a spokesperson from Bates County Emergency Management told Fox4.
Butler is approximately 60 miles south of Kansas City, Missouri. Emergency services and officials from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are on site, according to reports.
Aerial view of houses damaged by a tornado in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, May 17, 2025. — Reuters
Over 25 lives have been lost following severe storms and tornadoes impacting parts of Kentucky, Missouri, and Virginia. Numerous homes were devastated, trees uprooted, and nearly 200,000 residents were left without electricity.
Locals are working to navigate the aftermath of the destruction.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced on social media that at least 18 fatalities occurred during the storms on Friday night. Meanwhile, Missouri officials reported an additional seven deaths in their state.
Reports indicate that two individuals were killed by falling trees in Virginia.
In London, Kentucky, 38-year-old Jamie Burns, who lives in a trailer with her husband and son, took refuge in her sister’s basement as the storm obliterated around 100 to 200 houses in the vicinity.
“It’s unbelievable. Things that have been here for over 30 years are just gone,” Burns recounted during a phone conversation with AFP, her voice trembling.
“It’s shocking. You look at one spot, and it’s completely flattened, like it was never there.”
Drone images released by local outlets revealed shocking scenes in London, with homes turned to rubble and tree trunks standing stripped of their branches.
Governor Beshear noted that more than 100,000 people in Kentucky are without power, prompting five counties to declare states of emergency.
The eastern region of Kentucky, historically linked to coal mining, is among the nation’s most economically challenged areas.
“Many residents live in manufactured homes that are not equipped to withstand tornadoes,” Burns stated.
‘One of the most devastating storms’
In Missouri, five individuals were killed in the major city of St. Louis, with authorities labeling this as one of the most destructive storms in the city’s history, and two more deaths were reported in Scott County, according to a statement from the State Highway Patrol.
Approximately 80,000 people found themselves without power, and three emergency shelters were set up locally. Forecasts predict further severe weather on Sunday night and Monday.
When asked by a reporter if this was the most severe storm to hit St. Louis, Mayor Cara Spencer responded, “I would characterize this as one of the worst storms — absolutely. The destruction is incredibly heartbreaking.”
The mayor reported that 38 people were injured and about 5,000 buildings suffered damage.
In one St. Louis neighborhood, a church was significantly damaged, as seen in CBS footage, with rescue workers tending to victims in the area Saturday morning.
“It’s tragic to see such destruction inflicted on our residents and our church,” said Derrick Perkins, a pastor at Centennial Christian Church, expressing deep sorrow. “Our hearts are shattered.”
Bruce Madison, who also serves at the church, remarked on the community’s resilience amidst the tragedy. “Right now, all we can do is pray for everyone involved.”
Despite having prior warnings about the severe weather— Governor Beshear had declared a state of emergency on Friday—the rising death toll may lead to concerns regarding potential staffing shortages in the National Weather Service due to budget cuts made during the Trump administration.
It is estimated that around 500 of the 4,200 National Weather Service employees have either been laid off or opted for early retirement this year, according to The Washington Post.
Last year, the United States experienced its second-highest number of tornadoes on record, with nearly 1,800, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), second only to 2004.
Debris surrounds a damaged home in Florissant, Missouri, after a tornado struck on March 15, 2025. — Reuters
Severe storms wreak havoc across regions from Texas to Michigan.
NWS anticipates these storms are “just the start of a multi-day catastrophe.”
Two weather-related fatalities confirmed in McNairy and Obion counties.
The National Weather Service issued a warning on Thursday about potentially “generational” flooding in the southern and midwestern United States as storms swept through areas from Texas to Michigan, generating tornadoes and resulting in two deaths.
On Wednesday alone, at least 19 tornadoes made landfall, causing destruction to homes and businesses, injuring at least eight individuals, and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.
The NWS characterized this situation as merely “the beginning of a multi-day catastrophic and potentially historic heavy rainfall event.”
States including Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Mississippi are now bracing for a “generational flood event,” with forecasts predicting as much as 15 inches (38 cm) of rain in certain areas by the weekend, raising concerns about rivers overflowing.
The Tennessee Department of Health has reported two fatalities linked to the weather in McNairy and Obion counties. Additionally, four people sustained injuries in Craighead County, Arkansas, while another four, including one in critical condition, were hurt when a tornado struck a church in Ballard County, Kentucky, according to local reports.
BNSF Railroad reported a freight train derailment near the storm-affected city of Bay, Arkansas, although the cause has not yet been determined.
Late Wednesday, states including Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee declared emergencies in response to the severe weather.
The National Weather Service indicated that regions of Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas were under a heightened risk for severe thunderstorms on Thursday, warning of additional tornadoes, hail, and life-threatening flooding.
“Tonight’s forecast is chaotic,” remarked Scott Kleebauer, a meteorologist with the NWS. “This is a vast stretch of storms moving slowly east, reaching from southeast Michigan down to southeastern Arkansas.”
According to Missouri’s Emergency Management Agency, a tornado that struck Nevada, Missouri, inflicted “major damage to several businesses, uprooted power poles, and turned over multiple (unmanned) train cars…”
More than 400,000 customers lost power due to the storms, as reported by PowerOutage.us.
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