11 Killed Overnight as Storms Batter Georgia

23 injured as southern part of the state hit
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 22, 2017 8:07 AM CST
11 Killed Overnight as Storms Batter Georgia
Two women brace themselves against wind and rain as they walk to a protest march Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, in Atlanta. The march was delayed, and 11 people died in severe weather overnight.   (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Eleven people were killed and 23 were injured after severe weather struck southern Georgia, officials said Sunday. Catherine Howden of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency said the deaths occurred in Cook, Brooks, and Berrien counties in southern Georgia near the Georgia-Florida line. She said the deaths were related to severe weather but could not specify whether tornadoes were the cause, reports the AP. Tornado warnings had been issued for parts of Georgia overnight; the BBC reports that tornadoes were indeed at play.

Local officials are still assessing the area. No other information was immediately available. The southeastern United States has been pounded by storms, high winds, and unstable weather over the weekend. Four people died after a tornado with winds above 136mph tore a 25-mile path across southern Mississippi before dawn Saturday. The National Weather Service in Jacksonville, Fla., has issued a tornado warning for Echols, Clinch, and Ware counties in southeastern Georgia. A severe thunderstorm warning was in effect for the Florida panhandle. (More severe weather stories.)

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