By Elliott Blackburn
JOPLIN, Mo (Reuters) - The death toll from the powerful tornado that tore through the Missouri city of Joplin this week rose to 132 on Friday after six more victims were identified, Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr said.
Sunday's tornado was rated an EF-5, or the strongest possible, and is already the deadliest single twister in the United States since 1947.
The number of people still unaccounted for was pared down to 156, officials said.
"We are working around the clock to expedite this process so that families can have their loved ones returned to them," Missouri Deputy Director of Public Safety Andrea Spillars said.
The tornado scored a direct hit on the city of 50,000 people in southwest Missouri and left a swath of destruction nearly a mile (1.6 km) wide, damaging about 8,000 buildings.
More than 900 people were injured, although officials said that figure could be higher because some people did not go to hospitals.
There has been rising frustration in Joplin that families were unable to view the bodies in morgues or get answers on the fate of their loved ones.
Many of the bodies are in such poor condition that officials said they are using fingerprints, medical records, distinctive tattoos, DNA and other methods to identify them.
(Writing by Greg McCune; Editing by Jerry Norton)
