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6 dead as tornadoes hit Oklahoma, Kansas

OKLAHOMA CITY, May 11 (UPI) -- Emergency workers searched tornado-damaged areas in Oklahoma Tuesday, looking for the injured and dead, as the area braced for more storms.

At least 37 tornadoes touched down Monday in Oklahoma and Kansas. At least six deaths were reported, all in Oklahoma, and about 60 people were injured, mostly in Oklahoma, The Kansas City Star said.

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The Storm Prediction Center said 13 tornadoes were reported in Kansas and the rest in Oklahoma.

Michelann Ooten, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, said some of the worst damage occurred in the Oklahoma City area. One tornado struck a truck stop off Interstate 40.

"Although it's not unlike what we've seen in other tornadoes, you never get used to it," she told The New York Times. "Pick-up sticks is all you see."

Chris Moore of Midwest City said he pulled into Love's Truck Stop when the tornado approached as he drove home, The Oklahoman reported. The manager converted the cooler into a temporary storm shelter.

"And then it was almost like it was right behind her. And she was still trying to get people in the cooler," he said. "We all huddled on the floor, and the wind came and got real loud. The roof came off, everything was blowing around."

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In Oklahoma City, emergency workers went through damaged neighborhoods making sure no one was trapped, the Times said.

Gov. Brad Henry planned to tour the damage by helicopter Tuesday afternoon while weather forecasters said a new mass of unstable air would move in.

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