Unfortunately, at last count, Joplin had at least 132 reported fatalities with 156 people reportedly missing.
http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x1190395389/Death-toll-rises-to-132-after-Joplin-tornado
However, those figures are in dispute. As I was typing this post, the following article was released:
http://politicmo.com/2011/05/27/officials-report-152-missing-conflict-on-joplin-death-toll/
Way too many people, regardless which figures are used.
The Joplin tornado is thought to be a multiple-vortex tornado. So, it had more than one vortex, but wasn't a family of tornadoes. I'm assuming that's still considered to be a single tornado. At least, that's the way it's being presented by noaa.
116 was the figure for the Flint, MI tornado of '53. That was the deadliest u.s. tornado on record since they started officially keeping the records in 1950. But if you scan the list of the 10 deadliest u.s. tornadoes, including Joplin at #8, there was a tornado in WI in 1899 with 117 fatalities:
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/killers.html
Yes, the tri-state tornado of '25 is
considered to have been one continuous tornado that cut a 200-mile-long swath across the heartland. That said, scientists have discovered that tornado-producing storms are capable of producing one tornado after another. Given the information available on such an old event, it has been difficult for scientists to officially determine whether the tri-state tornado was a singular tornado or a family of tornadoes. But you're right in that there's certainly been a debate as to whether it was one or many tornadoes. Stats, all the same:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pah/?n=1925_tor_tt
Lists for the 10 deadliest u.s. tornadoes and 10 longest u.s. tornado tracks. (Not yet updated to include Joplin.) :
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pah/?n=1925_tor_gi
Bangladesh has had several massive, deadly tornadoes through the years that are considered equal to and worse than both Joplin and the tri-state tornado. :\ A list of deadly tornadoes across the planet:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tornadoes_causing_100_or_more_deaths