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An officer from the Terminal Railroad Police Department surveys the damage. SID HASTINGS/AP/Press Association Images

One dead and dozens injured as heavy winds tear through beer tent in St Louis

‘All hell broke loose’ as heavy gusts and lightning strikes led to multiple injuries for sports bar patrons in Missouri.

ONE MAN HAS died and there are reports of dozens injured after winds of up to 80kph ripped through a beer tent at a bar in St Louis, Missouri on Saturday night.

Fans St Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers were enjoying some post-game drinks at Kilroy’s Sports Bar when the storm struck.

The heavy winds lifted the tent from its aluminium moorings, and caused chaos inside. Flying debris was the cause of many of the injuries sustained.

“It was crazy, scary,” said Annie Randall, whose family owns Kilroy’s. “We’re just so sorry this happened.”

Art Randall, the owner of the bar, claimed that a lightning strike had killed the man, said to be in his 50s.

Randall described a ‘five second’ burst with a massive wind that lifted the huge tent, threw it ’100 feet’ into the air. He commented:

At some point in that five seconds, we were getting lightning strikes, and apparently one of our customers got hit by lightning right in the middle of the dance floor.

Speaking at the scene, Deputy Fire Chief John Altmann said he did not yet know what killed the man.

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The patrons of the bar were celebrating a 7-3 win for the Cardinals earlier in the day when the storm struck.

More than 100 people were treated for injuries at the scene and those regarded as seriously hurt were taken to hospital.

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