Tornado levels homes in US state

A vicious storm that spawned a tornado ripped through the St. Louis area on Friday night and shut the citys airport, where glass and other flying debris sent travelers running for cover, but few injuries were reported.The city of Maryland Heights was one of the hardest hit areas. The tornado tore the roofs off of houses and nearly leveled some other homes, knocking down trees and power lines and breaking natural gas utility lines. There were no deaths initially reported, but emergency workers were seen combing through destroyed residential areas Saturday morning.Flights from the citys Lambert Airport were being diverted to Kansas City. The airfield, crowded with travelers heading home for the Easter holiday was closed, while crews evaluated the damage.Power lines were reported down across St. Louis County with vehicles overturned on area roads, making it harder for emergency personnel to get through and leaving thousands without power, according to utility Ameren Missouri.When the storm hit, sirens went off inside the airport and police and other airport workers scrambled to rush hundreds of travelers into bathrooms and other interior areas to ride out the storm.Five people were reported injured at the airport, with four of them taken to an area hospital. But the injuries amounted to mainly minor “cuts and bruises,” an airport spokesman said.And severe storms and tornadoes last week killed at least 47 people in several states.