Editor’s note: The original video has been modified to omit audio of curse words.
ST. LOUIS – Newly-released video shows the tense moment two construction workers took cover and watched inside a vehicle Friday as a deadly tornado tore through St. Louis, narrowly escaping harm.
Footage from Alexander Hoffman, shared via content platform Storyful, shows the powerful storm ripping through one residential neighborhood of St. Louis, hurling debris across streets and construction zones.
In the video, two construction workers watched anxiously, with one of them filming and both visibly distraught as the tornado intensified. One worker is just getting inside the vehicle in the opening seconds of the clip.
“Oh my god! We’re in a tornado!” one person is heard saying in the footage as his co-worker made his way into the vehicle.
The video shows the workers inside the vehicle as debris flies past. A nearby crane truck, which appeared to be unoccupied, is struck and crushed by debris within seconds.
At one point, the camera captures a large tree just outside the vehicle losing two massive branches. One thick branch crashes down dangerously close to the workers’ vehicle, landing with a loud thump either just in front or directly against the vehicle.
The 51-second clip shows debris swirling chaotically in multiple directions as the workers remain inside, clearly shaken, but unharmed.
Five people died and 38 others were hurt in an EF-3 tornado that ripped through many neighborhoods of north St. Louis, in addition to nearby municipalities Clayton and University City. Around 5,000 homes in St. Louis City were damaged from Friday’s storms.