Mother, 14-year-old son killed as tornado slams Louisiana

The son was a high school freshman.

April 25, 2019, 3:39 PM

A mother and son were killed when a tree fell on their home during a tornado in Ruston, Louisiana, on Thursday, state officials said.

The son was 14 years old and a high school freshman, said Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.

In Ruston, about 70 miles east of Shreveport, "the damage is extensive," the governor said at a news conference Thursday. "From the air, if anything, it is more remarkable than it is from the ground."

PHOTO: A person surveys the damage caused by a deadly tornado that tore through the northern Louisiana city of Ruston early Thursday, April 25, 2019.
A person surveys the damage caused by a deadly tornado that tore through the northern Louisiana city of Ruston early Thursday, April 25, 2019.
Jonathan Elmer/The Tech Talk via AP
PHOTO: A pair of men walk though the parking lot of a strip mall that was destroyed by a deadly tornado that tore through the northern Louisiana city of Ruston early Thursday, April 25, 2019.
A pair of men walk though the parking lot of a strip mall that was destroyed by a deadly tornado that tore through the northern Louisiana city of Ruston early Thursday, April 25, 2019.
Jonathan Elmer/The Tech Talk via AP

"Our prayers are with the people of Ruston today," Edwards tweeted.

The governor said he declared a state of emergency for the entire state.

Tornadoes and severe storms slammed Texas and Louisiana overnight and at least four tornadoes have been confirmed in the area.

Tornado watches remain in effect from New Orleans to Pensacola, Florida, Thursday evening.

PHOTO: Weather forecast
Weather forecast
ABC News

Winds up to 70 mph and flash flooding are also possible.=

By 7 p.m. Thursday, the severe storms will move out of Louisiana and Mississippi and into the Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola area,

PHOTO: Weather forecast
Weather forecast
ABC News

The storm will then move east on Friday, bringing heavy rain to the Carolinas and the Northeast.

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