"...The weather service had warned that the storm was on the way, and local media had advised tornadoes were possible.
But many residents in the region said they did not know such a huge storm was coming..."


Interesting. I know that if I lived in that country, I would know what a cumulonimbus (CB) cloud (your classic thunderbumper cloud), and its variation, the cumulonimbus mammatus (CM, the one that tornados come from) look like, and if I saw one coming, or building on the horrizon, I would at least have my wallet and cell in my pocket.
Here is what the bottom side of a CM looks like. You see that overhead, start digging.

(sorry, I couldn't find a good pic of a CB in the limited time I have right now, but everyone has seen them. Tall (up to 30,000 ft or so), white on top (often in the shape of an anvil), dark on the bottom. Lightning, thunder, hail, all that fun stuff comes from a CB...