Awwal 20, 1432 H/April 24, 2011, SPA -- The St Louis International Airport reopened to serve all its flights Sunday afternoon after being shut down by a powerful tornado, according to dpa. "Arriving and departing flights have resumed," the Lambert-St Louis airport tweeted on Twitter. All terminals were "fully operating," it said. The tornado struck Friday evening, blowing out the windows at the main terminal and tearing the roof off a concourse, AccuWeather reported. On Saturday, airport officials feared the facility might have to be shut for days, but by Saturday evening, some incoming flights were landing. Video of the damage showed a large hole in the roof of one concourses, and reports said debris had been dropped onto the runways. Of the 500 people at the airport at the time the tornado struck, only four had to be hospitalized. Two planes full of passengers had reportedly been stranded on the tarmac during the tornado and then had to stay there because of the debris. One passenger reported that winds lifted his plane and shoved it about seven metres. Widespread damage from the storm has been reported across the St Louis area and a state of emergency has been declared. Cleanup at the airport continued Sunday, and passengers who had parked their cars there found widespread damage through the parking lot, according to the St Louis Post Dispatch.
