Witnesses in Pilger, Nebraska said that the prairie village of around 370 residents had been nearly wiped off the face of the earth when the twin tornadoes measured to have had the fearsome EF-4 rating struck the so-called ‘Town Too Tuff To Die’ starting Monday afternoon.
The twisters moving at 200mph destroyed or heavily damaged 75 per cent of all buildings in town.
So far, Calista Dixon, 5, and 74-year-old David Herout identified as the two fatalities in the disaster.
WATCH: 6/16/2014 Wakefield Nebraska Twin Wedge Tornado B-Roll
Winds measuring at 200mph tore through Pilger Monday night, leveling entire neighborhoods. The duo of fast-moving twisters gutted the local middle school and destroyed much of Pilger’s farming infrastructure.
The power and magnitude of the tornado is evident
Tragic casualties: Little Calista (right) was trying to escape the tornado with her mother and sister when she was killed; a second victim has been identified as 74-year-old David Herout (left), who was killed after being ejected from his car
Path of destruction: The tornado crushed much of the small downtown, leaving piles of bricks that had been storefronts in the street
Drivers risk their lives to escape a damaging 200MPH tornado
Truly horrifying pictures; it’s a mirage anyone survived