U.S. President Donald Trump says he will visit Friday with survivors of violent tornadoes that killed 23 people in the southern state of Alabama, VOA News reports.
Trump made the announcement Tuesday at the White House as rescue workers sifted through the rubble left by the Sunday storms in search of victims.
“It’s been a tragic situation, but a lot of good work is being done” in the aftermath, Trump said.
Authorities said they had identified all 23 whose remains had been found, including seven members of one family. The victims ranged in age from 6 to 93. A small number of people, perhaps seven or eight, remain missing, authorities say.
At least two tornadoes touched down during an outbreak of severe weather across the Southeast.
Rita Smith, spokeswoman for the Lee County Emergency Management Agency, said about 150 first responders were involved in searching through debris after the storms hit. She said numerous homes were destroyed or damaged in Beauregard, about 95 kilometers (59 miles) east of Montgomery, the state capital.
Earlier in the week, Trump said he had told the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to give “A Plus” treatment to Alabama in the wake of the tornadoes.
The National Weather Service had issued numerous tornado warnings for Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina as severe weather swept across the region Sunday.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency to provide state resources to the damaged areas.
“Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives in the storms that hit Lee County today,” Ivey said in a tweet. “Praying for their families & everyone whose homes or businesses were affected.”