A tornado usually lasts only a few minutes and covers a narrow strip of ground, but the worst ones in history killed hundreds of people in a matter of hours. Four of the five deadliest hit Bangladesh, where crowded villages, homes built from tin and bamboo and very little warning made the damage far worse, and the fifth crossed three states in the American Midwest. The deadliest tornado ever recorded struck the Manikganj District of Bangladesh on April 26 1989. It was about 1.5 kilometers wide, left a path of roughly 80 kilometers and destroyed every home in a six square kilometer area. About 1300 people were killed, 12000 were injured and as many as 80000 lost their homes. A committee of the World Meteorological Organization later judged 1300 to be the most reliable estimate. The deadliest in the United States was the Tri-State Tornado of March 18 1925. It touched down near Ellington Missouri around 1 pm and stayed on the ground for three and a half hours over 219 miles through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. It killed 695 people and the town of Murphysboro alone lost 234. Almost fifty years later on April 17 1973 another tornado hit Manikganj and killed 681 people, although unofficial estimates were close to 1000. On May 13 1996 a tornado hit about 80 villages in the Jamalpur and Tangail districts and killed at least 600 people and injured more than 32000 in roughly twenty minutes. In 1977 a tornado devastated villages around Madaripur and Shibchar and killed about 500 people. Death tolls for these events are official or best estimates and sources do not always agree on the exact numbers. Remembering everyone who lost their lives. Follow for more history. #tornado #tristatetornado #bangladesh #naturaldisasters #weatherhistory - @slideshowhistorian