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Four people were reported dead and a rescue operation was underway Saturday after a tornado wrecked buildings and left people trapped in their homes in southern Mississippi, Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict and Hattiesburg city officials told NBC News on Saturday.
Damage caused by tornadoes in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Jan. 21, 2017. WDAM
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said it had received reports of "extensive damage" in three counties Forrest, Lamar and Perry in the area of Hattiesburg, Miss.
Four people were confirmed dead and Hattiesburg city officials said that the mayor, Johnny DuPree, had signed an emergency declaration amid "significant injuries and structural damages." It did not immediately give further information.
Forrest County Emergency Management said it could confirm only three deaths. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.
Some people remain trapped in their houses, said Forrest County Emergency Management Director Glen Moore. He said it was too soon to estimate the number of injured people.
In addition, a fire department in Hattiesburg was damaged, Moore said.
"Search and rescue teams are being deployed to assist Forest County emergency management in the Hattiesburg area," the agency said in a statement.
Interstate 59 north of the city was closed, the agency said, and severe weather was continuing to move through the southeastern part of the state.
"There are power lines and debris over a large area so the public is asked to avoid travelling," the agency said.
William Carey University in downtown Hattiesburg also reported damage.
Damage caused by tornadoes in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Jan. 21, 2017. WDAM
It came as a band of severe weather moved across the region, and the NWS issued a tornado watch for parts of Alabama and Florida until 10 a.m. ET.
The First Presidential Debate: Hillary Clinton And Donald Trump (Full Debate) | NBC News
The missile that downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was fired from a Russian launcher in an area of Ukraine controlled by pro-Moscow rebels, a Dutch-led team of investigators and prosecutors concluded Wednesday.
The surface-to-air missile hit the Boeing 777 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur killing 298 people in July 2014, breaking it apart in midair and scattering wreckage over several miles of fields.
An armed pro-Russian separatist stands on part of the wreckage of MH17 three days after it was brought down in July 2014. MAXIM ZMEYEV / Reuters
At the time of the disaster, pro-Russian separatists were fighting Ukrainian government forces in the area.
Witness and social media evidence, along with intercepted communications, allowed investigators to track the Cold War-era Buk launcher being moved from Russia to rebel-held territory in Ukraine then back across the border after the disaster, the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) said.
Wilbert Paulissen, head of the Central Crime Investigation department of the Dutch National Police, said: "It may be concluded MH17 was shot down by a 9M38 missile launched by a Buk, brought in from the territory of the Russian Federation, and that after launch was subsequently returned to the Russian Federation."
The findings refute Moscow"s suggestion that the plane was brought down by the Ukrainian military. On Monday, Russia said it had new data showing the missile did not originate from rebel-controlled territory and said it would turn the data over to investigators.
Russia"s foreign affairs ministry spokeswoman dismissed the entire investigation as "biased and politically motivated."
Gallery: Malaysia Airlines Wreckage Litters Ukrainian Landscape
Maria Zakharova said in a statement that investigators had "prevented Moscow from fully taking part in the process."
"It sounds like an evil joke, but they"ve also made Ukraine a full member of the JIT, giving it the opportunity to fake evidence and twist the situation to its benefit," she said. "To this day, the investigation continues to ignore irrefutable proof presented by the Russian side, even though Russia is in fact the only country to send reliable information and reveal more and more new data."
Eduard Basurin, a defense spokesman for the separatist self-declared Donetsk People"s Republic, told Interfax: "We did not have these air defense systems at our disposal neither the systems, not the specialists [to operate it]. So we couldn"t have shot down the Boeing."
Investigators also ruled out the possibility that MH17 was downed by another aircraft or by some kind of accident, but were unable to conclude whether the missile was fired at the passenger jet accidentally or deliberately.
Wednesday"s report marks "an important milestone" in bringing to justice all those responsible for downing the aircraft, Ukraine"s foreign ministry said.
Thomas Schansman, father of the only U.S. citizen killed in the July 2014 disaster, told The Associated Press he expected investigators to identify the weapon involved and where it was fired from, but not to name the people they believe were responsible.
Barry Sweeney, whose son Liam was among the dead, told the BBC: "It shouldn"t have happened. To find out why it happened would be a bonus."
The inquiry concluded that the deadly surface-to-air missile was fired from farmland in the rebel-held area of Pervomaiskiy, 3 miles from the eastern Ukrainian town of Snizhne. Wednesday"s news conference was shown pictures of scorched grass where the launch took place.
Related: MH17 Report Reveals Shocking Details of Jet"s Last Moments
The downing played a significant part in a decision by the European Union and United States to impose sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine conflict, and East-West tensions escalated to levels not seen since the Cold War ended in 1990.
Russia-made Buk warheads, first built in the 1970s, are capable of shooting down aircraft up to 18 miles away. But the radar system that guides the missiles is designed for war zones, and is not capable of distinguishing between military and civilian planes.
Last year, a civil air accident investigation into the cause of the July 17, 2014 disaster by the Dutch Safety Board concluded that MH17 was downed by a Buk missile that exploded less than one yard from the aircraft"s cockpit.
Hundreds of "high-energy" fragments pierced the fuselage, and the shrapnel instantly killed the two pilots and one crew member inside, it concluded. There was no time to make a mayday call or attempt to maneuver, the report noted.
Related: What We Know About Cold War Missile That Downed MH17
"It was not possible to ascertain at which moment the occupants died," it added. "The impact on the ground was not survivable."
Tom Perez: Donald Trump Is A "Fraud" | Meet The Press | NBC News
The St. Anthony, Minn., police officer who shot and killed Philando Castile was identified Thursday night as Jeronimo Yanez, a four-year veteran of the department.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Yanez and Officer Joseph Kauser, also a four-year veteran of the St. Anthony force, were placed on administrative leave.
Yanez and Kauser stopped Castile"s car about 9:05 p.m. (10:05 p.m. ET) Wednesday for a traffic-related violation in Falcon Heights, the state agency said. According to investigators, Yanez approached the car from the driver"s side, while Kauser approached it from the passenger side.
"At one point during the interaction, Officer Yanez discharged his weapon, striking Castile multiple times. No one else was injured. A gun was recovered at the scene," the BCA said.
Authorities confirmed that there were two passengers in the vehicle, Diamond Reynolds and her juvenile daughter. Reynolds, who was Castile"s fiance, posted video of the immediate aftermath of the shooting online.
Yanez radioed for an ambulance, which took Castile to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead, the BCA said.
The Hennepin County medical examiner"s office said in an autopsy report late Thursday night that Castile, 32, died of multiple gunshot wounds. It classified his death as a homicide.
No other details of the fatal confrontation were made available. Authorities said that evidence was still being collected, including squad car video of the incident. St. Anthony officers don"t wear body cameras.
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton made it clear that he believed Castile"s race was a factor, saying Thursday: "Would this have happened if those passengers, the driver were white? I don"t think it would have."
The shooting came a day after a second black man, Alton Sterling, was killed by police in Baton Rouge, La., sparked nationwide protests.
Most of the protests were large but peaceful. But at least four officers were killed Thursday night when snipers opened fire during a protest in Dallas, Police Chief David Brown said.
Monster Snowstorm Begins Working Its Way Up East Coast | NBC Nightly News
CAIRO The body of a missing Italian student was found with signs of torture, including multiple stab wounds and cigarette burns, by the side of a highway on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital, an investigating prosecutor told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Giulio Regeni, a 28-year-old graduate student, went missing in Cairo on Jan. 25 the fifth anniversary of the uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
His body was found Wednesday along the Cairo-Alexandria Road in western Cairo and was positively identified by his roommate, said the prosecutor, Ahmed Nagi, who leads the investigation team on the case.
Egyptian soldiers outside a morgue in Cairo on Thursday where the body of Italian student Giulio Regeni was brought. MOHAMED HOSSAM / EPA
Nagi said the cause of death was still under investigation but said "all of his body, including his face" had bruises, cuts from stabbings and burns from cigarettes. He said it appeared to have been a "slow death."
An employee at Cairo"s central morgue confirmed that Regeni"s body was brought there.
Italy"s Foreign Ministry said it has urgently summoned the Egyptian ambassador over Regeni"s death, seeking maximum cooperation in the investigation. The ministry said in a statement on Thursday that Italy renewed its request to launch an immediate investigation and include Italian experts. The statement also requested that the body be returned to Italy as soon as possible.
The deputy head of criminal investigations in Cairo"s twin province of Giza, Alaa Azmi, earlier had said an initial investigation into Regeni"s death suggested a road accident.
The University of Cambridge lists Regeni as a student of its Department of Politics and International Studies. Regeni"s body was found following an online campaign searching for him after he went missing.
The Egyptian authorities had intensified a crackdown on dissent ahead of the Jan. 25 anniversary, with police raiding apartments in downtown Cairo seeking signs of plans for organized protests and checking people"s social media accounts.
Egypt has seen years of upheaval since Mubarak"s ouster in 2011.
"Hillary Clinton: Bernie Sanders Is ‘Trying to Divert Attention" | NBC Nightly News
Less than 48 hours after an Iowa caucus defeat, Donald Trump is calling for a do-over. The New York business man accused the Ted Cruz campaign of fraudulent activities during the Iowa caucuses, after controversial voter mailers and reports that Cruz staffers lied to caucus goers by indicating Dr. Ben Carson was dropping out in order to gain votes for Cruz. Cruz has since called for the firing of those people and apologized.
Trump took to Twitter to air his grievances against what he called Cruz"s "fraud" and in subsequent tweets made the case for why he believed "a new election should take place or Cruz results nullified."
Cruz won Iowa with 28 percent of the vote with Trump finishing second at 24 percent. Trump, who was polling just ahead of Cruz in the days before the Iowa caucus, has argued that his second place finish was actually a success, especially when he was warned early on that he "would be lucky" to make the top 10 there, he told crowds in Milford, NH Monday night. "We did really well," Trump assured his supporters. But despite touting his success, it seems Trump is still trying to tear his rivals" wins down.
Related: How to Watch the New Hampshire Democratic Debate on Thursday
Responding to Trump"s tweets, Cruz spokesperson Rick Tyler said, "reality has hit the reality star. Since Iowa, no one is talking about Donald Trump. That"s why he"s popping off on Twitter. There are Twitter addiction therapy groups, and he should check in with his local chapter."
Monster Snowstorm Begins Working Its Way Up East Coast | NBC Nightly News
Less than 48 hours after an Iowa caucus defeat, Donald Trump is calling for a do-over. The New York business man accused the Ted Cruz campaign of fraudulent activities during the Iowa caucuses, after controversial voter mailers and reports that Cruz staffers lied to caucus goers by indicating Dr. Ben Carson was dropping out in order to gain votes for Cruz. Cruz has since called for the firing of those people and apologized.
Trump took to Twitter to air his grievances against what he called Cruz"s "fraud" and in subsequent tweets made the case for why he believed "a new election should take place or Cruz results nullified."
Cruz won Iowa with 28 percent of the vote with Trump finishing second at 24 percent. Trump, who was polling just ahead of Cruz in the days before the Iowa caucus, has argued that his second place finish was actually a success, especially when he was warned early on that he "would be lucky" to make the top 10 there, he told crowds in Milford, NH Monday night. "We did really well," Trump assured his supporters. But despite touting his success, it seems Trump is still trying to tear his rivals" wins down.
Related: How to Watch the New Hampshire Democratic Debate on Thursday
Responding to Trump"s tweets, Cruz spokesperson Rick Tyler said, "reality has hit the reality star. Since Iowa, no one is talking about Donald Trump. That"s why he"s popping off on Twitter. There are Twitter addiction therapy groups, and he should check in with his local chapter."
Five children one as young as 4 died after a fast-moving fire consumed their mobile home early Tuesday in rural southeast Texas, officials said. Two adults, identified as Johnny Hernandez and Annabelle Ortiz, and one of their kids escaped the blaze, which broke out around 5 a.m. local time in Edna, about 100 miles southwest of Houston. Ortiz was taken to the hospital, while Hernandez was treated for minor injuries at the scene, Jackson County Sheriff A.J. Louderback told NBC News.
Hernandez, 30, was able to help his wife and one of their 4-year-old children out of a window, but was held back when he tried to go back inside. The victims were identified as: Noah, 15, Nicholas, 13, Julian, 10, Ariana, 5, and Liliana, 4, NBC affiliate KPRC reported. Were taking it really hard. Its probably one of the biggest tragedies in Edna, in all around, Hernandezs brother, Rico Hernandez, told the Victoria Advocate. The fire remains under investigation. "It was an old trailer so maybe it was something electrical, Rico Hernandez added. Im guessing it was cold last night so something with the heater."
