41 people killed in US floods

In the United States, the death toll has risen to 41 in disaster caused by storms and floods in southern and central states. Many buildings have flattened and transport snarled. At least 11 people were killed in the Dallas area over the weekend by tornadoes, including one packing winds of up to 322 km per hour. The twister hit the city of Garland, killing eight people and blowing vehicles off highways. National Weather Service Meteorologist Matt Bishop said that a tornado of that strength is very rare in a metropolitan area. Three other deaths were reported in the Dallas metropolitan area. Scores of people were injured in the region, officials said.

In Illinois and Missouri, flash flooding killed at least 11 people, officials and local media reported



Sunday.

The storms came on the heels of tornadoes that hit two days before Christmas, killing at least 18 people in Mississippi.

The weather service issued severe weather advisories for large parts of the central United States, including a blizzard warning for parts of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas and a flash flood watch stretching from Texas to Indiana.

The bad weather forced the cancellation of nearly 1,300 flights, about half in Dallas Sunday.