Authorities in rural Alabama said Wednesday they have accounted for everyone who was missing after tornadoes packing winds of up to 170 mph killed 23 people and carved a nearly mile-wide path of destruction.
The 23 victims — including four children and seven people from one extended family — were all killed in or around the tiny community of Beauregard near the Georgia border.
“We are now confident we have accounted for all of the individuals that we had not accounted for” earlier, Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told a news conference, referring to seven people who were found alive.
“The situation will now move, as it should, to a recovery,” he said.
County Coroner Bill Harris said rescuers were “still in standby mode on the outside chance they find somebody else, which is not likely.”
Meanwhile, Pope Francis expressed his condolences Wednesday to the victims, saying he is spiritually close to all those who are suffering and grieving.
He sent a telegram to the bishop of Mobile, Alabama, the Most Rev. Thomas Rodi, saying he was saddened to learn of the “tragic loss of life and injuries” caused by the tornado on Sunday.
Francis prayed that God “may grant eternal rest to the dead, especially the children, and healing and consolation to the injured and those who grieve.”
President Trump plans to visit the devastated area Friday.
Seven funeral homes are involved in planning services for the 23 victims, as the community rallies to help support their families financially, Harris told CNN.
Two large corporations have pledged to foot the bills for the funerals, he added.
“I got a phone call from an individual that said, if the details get worked out, there’s a very large corporation that will probably pay most, if not all, of the cost of every victim’s funeral,” Harris told WTVM.
“I got another call from another company that will do the same thing. So, between the two, these expenses, which can be up into the thousands, will probably be covered by these two companies,” he added.
“What a wonderful blessing this will be for the families who have lost loved ones! To these corporations we thank you!” the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.
With Post wires
