The death toll from the tornado on Saturday night rose to 16 in southwest Missouri on Monday. A firefighter from Seneca, Tyler Casey, died after suffering critical injuries while trying to warn people about the storm.

Gov. Matt Blunt said flags at state facilities in Barry, Jasper and Newton counties will be flown at half-staff in honor of Casey until dusk on the evening of his funeral.

  Here are the names of the other 15 victims in southwest Missouri.  Newton, Barry and Jasper county coroners released the names after making sure their relatives were notified.

Newton County:

--Ruby Bilke, Joplin

--Teri Cook, north of Racine

--Paul Gallemore, Racine

--Linda Hasty, Seneca

--Daniel, Barbara, Jeff and Terrance "Joe" Monroe, Newton County

--Rockie Peterson, Neosho

--Christine Petree, Morrisville

--Richard, Kathy and Clayton Rountree, Joplin

  The Rountree family and Bilke were in a car that was blown off a road near Missouri 43 at Iris Road. Bilke was Kathy Rountree's mother. Clayton Rountree was the son of Richard and Kathy.

Petree was in another car that was blown off Missouri 43.  The Monroe family was in a mobile home that the tornado struck.  Gallemore was upstairs in a home that the tornado hit while he watched television.  His wife took cover but he didn't.

Barry County:

--Kelly Kisler Jr., Purdy

Kisler was visiting some friends at their mobile home when the tornado
hit.  He was trying to get to a bathroom for safety while four others
huddled next to furniture in the living room.

Jasper County:
--Casey Coggins, near Carthage

Coggins, 17, was in a mobile home on which a tree landed between Carthage and Avilla.

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Edited news release from National Weather
Service:  

RACINE, Mo. -- The National Weather Service confirmed the touchdown of a very
strong tornado on Saturday in Newton County. 

  At approximately 5:59 p.m., a
tornado crossed the Oklahoma border just north of Iris Road.  The
tornado moved east-southeast to the intersection of Missouri 43 and Iris road,
where it intensified briefly to an EF4 tornado with winds of approximately 170
mph.

  Damage included throwing
automobiles up to one half mile, destroying businesses and numerous homes.  Many
of the deaths in Newton County during this event occurred near this
intersection.

  The tornado grew to one mile in width as it crossed just south of the
intersection of Missouri 86 at Highway BB.  It
continued east-southeast, crossing Highway NN between Iris Road and Jute Road
before once again growing to one mile in width as it struck the community of
Fredville at Missouri 175 at Jute Road.

   The tornado moved toward
the intersection of Missouri 59 at U.S.

60, destroying mobile homes and taking roofs off frame homes as it moved
through the south side of Granby as an EF1 tornado with 110 mph winds.

  The storm took a direct path to
Newtonia.  Based upon significant
damage to roofs and structural damage to most homes in

Newtonia, the storm was rated an EF1 with winds near 100 mph.

  The tornado then crossed into
Barry County one half mile southeast of the intersection of Mulberry Road at
Zebra Road as an EF1 tornado, damaging homes and turkey barns.

  It passed through the north
side of Purdy with an EF2 rank, snapping power poles and causing significant
damage to frame homes and destroying mobile homes.  One fatality occurred at Commercial Street at Business Route 37.

  The tornado weakened as it tracked east of Purdy, lifting about one mile southeast of the community of McDowell.