By Nomaan Merchant, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press -- Sat, 28
May, 2011

JOPLIN, Mo. - The death toll from the monster tornado last week in
Missouri has risen by seven to at least 139, city spokeswoman Lynn
Onstot said Saturday. That makes this the deadliest year for tornadoes
in the U.S. since 1950, based on an assessment of figures from the
National Weather Service.

The tornado death toll for 2011 is now 520. Until now, the highest
recorded death toll in a single year was 519 in 1953. There were
deadlier storms before 1950, but those counts were based on estimates
and not on precise figures.

Missouri says the number of people still unaccounted for since the
Joplin tornado is now at 105. State Department of Public Safety deputy
director Andrea Spillars said Saturday that within that number, nine
people have been reported dead by their families, but state officials
are working to confirm. She said that the temporary morgue has 142 human
remains, but that includes partial remains.

"Some of those remains may be the same person," she said, adding that
officials are trying to use scientific means rather than relying on
relatives giving visual identifications.

The state has been working to pare down the list of people missing and
unaccounted for in the wake of the deadliest single U.S. twister in more
than six decades.

City manager Mark Rohr acknowledged Friday afternoon that there may be
"significant overlap" between the confirmed dead and the remainder of
the missing list. Still, search and rescue crews were undeterred, with
600 volunteers and 50 dog teams out again across the city.

"We're going to be in a search and rescue mode until we remove the last
piece of debris," Rohr said.

The tornado --- an EF5 packing 200 mph (320 kph) winds --- was the
deadliest since 1950 and more than 900 people were injured. Tallying and
identifying the dead and the missing has proven a complex, delicate and
sometimes confusing exercise for both authorities and loved ones.

Earlier Saturday, a family member said that a teenager believed to have
been ejected or sucked from his father's car on the way home from
graduation in the massive tornado has been confirmed dead. Will Norton's
aunt, Tracey Presslor, said Saturday that the family received
confirmation of his death late Friday night.

Family members had previously told The Associated Press that Norton and
his father were still on the road when the storm hit. Mark Norton urged
his son to pull over, but the teen's Hummer H3 flipped several times,
throwing the young man from the vehicle, likely through the sunroof.

Several social-networking efforts specifically focused on finding
information about Norton.

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