Joplin tornado death toll rises to 116

Springfield-Greene County Emergency Management announced Monday afternoon that the death toll had climbed to 116. It reported the death toll at 24 in the hours following the devastating tornado and updated the number to 89 on Monday morning.

The Missouri officials said that the toll is expected to climb as searching and rescuing continue. Besides, an unknown number of people were injured in the storm and they were scattered to the nearby hospitals.

The tornado touched down into the heart of the city near 6 p.m. on Sunday, destroying thousands of buildings. The local fire department estimated that 25 percent to 30 percent of the city was damaged by winds of up to 165 miles per hour, but the number of people injured in the storm was still unknown.

Jasper County emergency management director estimated that 2,000 buildings were damaged. The tornado even cut a path nearly six miles long and more than a half-mile wide in the downtown. Besides, a series of gas leaks caused fires around the city overnight.

Among the worst-hit locations in Joplin was patients-packed St. John's Regional Medical Center, which suffered a "direct hit" from tornado.

The storm battered this nine-story building, blew out hundreds of windows and left the facility useless, with medical records, X-rays, insulation and other items found 60 miles away.

U.S. President Barack Obama called the governor Sunday evening to "extend his condolences" to the families of Joplin.