Mississippi”s death toll has climbed to 35 from this week”s violent storms.
Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley says a woman”s body was found Saturday morning in rubble near her home in Smithville. Monroe County alone has now reported 15 deaths.
The National Weather Service classified the Wednesday afternoon twister that hit Smithville as an EF-5, the strongest rating for tornado damage. Authorities say about a dozen people are missing in the town of 900, which was mostly flattened.
At least 163 people were injured in several counties across Mississippi, and President Barack Obama has issued a disaster declaration.
Volunteers are feeding and providing shelter for people left homeless by the storms.
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