Mississippi tornado and storms kill at least 23

At least 23 people were killed and dozens injured after thunderstorms spawning high straight-line winds and tornadoes ripped across Mississippi late on Friday, leaving hundreds without shelter, state officials said on Saturday.

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A string of governments and institutions have banned TikTok in recent weeks, including the White House, the UK Parliament, the Dutch and Belgian Administrations, the New Zealand Parliament, and the Governments of Canada, India, Pakistan, Taiwan and Jordan.

Concerns regarding alleged security risks posed by TikTok have most prominently been raised by US lawmakers and national security officials who say that user data gathered by the app could be accessed by the Chinese Government.

Calls to ban TikTok from government devices gained momentum after FBI Director Christopher Wray said in November it poses national security risks.

Late last month, the European Union’s two biggest policy-making institutions – the Commission and the Council – banned TikTok from staff phones for cybersecurity reasons.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Four people were missing following the storms, which left a trail of damage for more than 100 miles (161 km). The tornadoes struck Silver City, a town of 200 people in western Mississippi, as well as Rolling Fork, with a population of 1700, which was hardest hit. Parts of the state remain under tornado warning.

"At least twenty-three Mississippians were killed by last night's violent tornadoes," Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves wrote on Twitter. "We know that many more are injured. Search and rescue teams are still active. The loss will be felt in these towns forever."

Reeves declared a state of emergency in the affected areas, which he said would remain in effect "until such time as this threat to public safety shall cease to exist."

Reeves, who visited Silver City, said a request for a major disaster declaration had been submitted, adding that "the scale of the damage and loss is evident everywhere affected today."

President Joe Biden described the images from Mississippi as "heart-breaking," and said in a statement that he had spoken with Reeves and offered his condolences and full federal support for the recovery.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director Deanne Criswell told CNN that she would be travelling to Mississippi today. Criswell pledged to process quickly the request to declare the tornado areas a major disaster to enable full federal support now and over the long term.

FEMA was already on the ground, she said, adding that the American Red Cross was setting up shelters.

Search and rescue teams combed through the destruction looking for survivors in Silver City and Rolling Fork.

(Excerpt from Reuters)