joplin death toll. Officials say everyone who had been reported missing since last week's massive tornado in Joplin, Missouri, has been accounted for and the 134 confirmed dead have all been identified.

The Wednesday announcement came from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The agency has led the effort to track down the nearly 270 people listed as unaccounted for after the May 22 tornado. The patrol says the confirmed death toll of 134 includes 124 people who had been on the unaccounted-for list, seven people who had been taken immediately to funeral homes after the storm, and three people who have since died in the hospital from their injuries.

Meanwhile, as crews begin the long task of removing millions of cubic yards of debris in Joplin, city and federal officials warned Wednesday that people should take precautions to avoid dust and other airborne particulates that could contain hazardous material.

More than 8,000 homes and apartments, and more than 500 commercial properties, were damaged or destroyed in the May 22 tornado.

The Army National Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Missouri National Guard and other agencies are working together on debris removal that began Wednesday. That will mean bulldozers will be moving piles of debris, streets will be swept, and other actions will take place that could raise dust, some of it potentially hazardous.

Source: cbsnews