The strongest tornado in recent times swept through Oklahoma City suburbs on Monday.

 At least 91 people, including 20 children, are feared killed by a huge tornado that tore through suburbs of Oklahoma City in the US in the afternoon of Monday, May 20, 2013, BBC said. The worst hit area was Moore, located south of Oklahoma where whole neighbourhoods were flattened and schools destroyed by winds of 320 km per hour speed.

About 120 people were being treated in hospitals while President Barack Obama declared Oklahoma a major disaster area. The Washington Post newspaper reported that the massive tornado that was about a kilometre and half wide, completely destroyed the Plaza Towers Elementary School where students who had taken refuge in a hallway with their teachers were buried in the rubble. The State Medical Examiner’s office said early yesterday, May 21, 2013 that they expected the casualty figure to rise as more calls kept coming in.

Nearby, cars and trucks were heaped on top of one another and homes reduced to foundations covered with splintered wood. Jayme Shelton, a spokesman for the city of Moore, asked for prayers for the residents, explaining that the city’s 160 police officers and firefighters were going from door-to-door, checking for people who might be trapped in the rubble. Search-and-rescue teams were also sent in from other parts of the state to help. A helicopter reporter for KFOR TV described the area as looking like a war zone with scenes of massive destruction.

Officials at two hospitals said they were treating more than 140 patients, including about 70 children. Dozens of people were said to be in a critical condition, Sky News said. Oklahoma State Governor, Mary Fallin, said communication was difficult as power lines and mobile phone towers were smashed by the storm.