I've just read an article in the DM on line, which states that there was absolute 'carnage' after a tornado swept through a Welsh village. Funny, I would have thought that such a terrible disaster would have had more news coverage. It doesn't say how many people were actually killed, but to use the word 'carnage', it must be quite a large number. wouldn't you think????
The Oxford English Dictionary includes this definition of 'carnage':
"fig. Widespread damage or ruin, devastation; chaos, disorder"
and gives multiple references to its use in that form, dating back as far as 1848.
So, much as I dislike the Daily Mail, I find it hard to criticise their sub-editor here.
Dictionary.com is a reasonable source of information but it's based on an American print publication (Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary) and simply isn't in the same league as the OED.
Most UK public libraries subscribe to the OED's service (which otherwise costs over £200 p.a.). Try entering your library card number in the bottom field here to see if you can get into their website. (My Suffolk Libraries card no longer works but my Essex Libraries one does):
http://www.oed.com/loginpage