The deadly outbreak of tornadoes that killed at least 23 people on Sunday brought heavy destruction to Alabama’s Eufaula Municipal Airport, ripping apart hangars and destroying dozens of airplanes including a number of jets.
Several tornadoes hit the state on Sunday afternoon, including a “monster tornado” that reached an estimated wind speed of 170 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Officials estimated that the EF4 tornado was a mile wide and cut a path of destruction 24 miles long. It was the deadliest tornado outbreak since 2013, when an EF5 tornado killed 24 people in Moore, Oklahoma.
The deaths are also the first tornado-related fatalities in Alabama since November 2016, the National Weather Service said.
The non-towered Eufaula Airport (KEUF) has a single, 5,000-foot runway. Local officials said 30 hangars were damaged and 21 airplanes destroyed. The estimated damage to aircraft and structures at the airport was put at more than $100 million.
