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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
John Plunkett

CNN crew escape injury as hurricane strikes

A CNN crew covering Hurricane Katrina narrowly escaped injury when their vehicle was hit by a fence uprooted in high winds.

The news broadcaster's "mobile storm centre" was struck while it was parked outside a hotel in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Correspondent Gary Tuchman and three colleagues were in the SUV when they heard a loud bang and the windows shattered.

"It was a huge thud and first we thought the hotel collapsed," said Tuchman. "We looked back and we saw the back of the SUV, the windows smashed, glass everywhere. Nobody was hurt and we immediately got out. It was bad luck. You obviously take some risks."

Tuchman said the SUV, called Hurricane One, had been severely damaged in the incident and would no longer be used to cover the storm.

"There's the possibility it had been totalled," he told the Hollywood Reporter.

The vehicle was parked in the car park of the Holiday Inn in Gulfport, about four miles inland. Tuchman said the crew, including a photographer, producer and engineer, had decided not to remain on the coast because it was thought too dangerous.

Up to 80 people are believed to have been killed so far by Hurricane Katrina, with winds reaching speeds up to 145mph.

· To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 7239 9857

· If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".

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