Joplin tornado death toll rises to 125

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — Rescue crews refused to be deterred today even as Joplin officials said no new survivors were pulled from the rubble left by behind the single deadliest tornado in decades and the death toll rose to at least 125.

More than 900 people also were injured by a mighty twister the National Weather Service said was an EF5, the strongest rating assigned to tornadoes, with winds of more than 200 mph. But officials in the southwest Missouri city of 50,000 people said they're holding out hope for more rescues.

"We never give up. We're not going to give up," City Manager Mark Rohr told an evening news conference. "We'll continue to search as we develop the next phase in the process."

Roughly 100 people were meanwhile reviewing information about people reported missing in the storm's wake. Rohr said they're making progress in sorting through the list of names, but declined to say how many people remain "unaccounted for."

He said officials plan to release the names of the 125 people killed "as soon as we can."