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Tornado kills 8 people in Oklahoma


    DALLAS (Reuters) - A tornado killed eight people when it struck a small town in Oklahoma and up to 30 people were missing, local officials said on Wednesday.

    The tornado, one of three to hit the state on Tuesday night, cut a half-mile (0.8-km) swath through Lone Grove, halfway between Oklahoma City and Dallas, Texas, said Michelann Ooten of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

    "Eight fatalities have been confirmed ... and 14 injured," Ooten told Reuters.

    Local media said the death toll could climb as high as 15.

    Ken Grace, the sheriff for Carter County which includes Lone Grove, said rescuers were searching the rubble.

    "There may be up to 30 people missing," he told Reuters by telephone.

    Lone Grove's population was put at 4,631 in the 2000 census, according to http://www.lonegroveoklahoma.com.

    (Reporting by Ed Stoddard and Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Eric Beech)