Update | At least 17 killed as tornadoes rip through south-central US
Entire neighbourhoods in Arkansas and Oklahoma wiped out, leaving at least 17 dead and rescue workers searching for more bodies in the dark
Residents emerged yesterday to view the full scope of the devastation left by powerful tornadoes that tore through small towns in south-central United States, killing at least 18 people.
More big twisters were expected as violent thunder and hail storms moved through a large part of the southern United States, from Texas to Tennessee, forecasters said.
Tornadoes struck the region on Sunday, flipping cars, ripping up homes and uprooting trees.
One of the towns hardest hit by the storms, Vilonia, Arkansas, intensified its search for survivors yesterday, after the arrival of daylight allowed a good look at the storm damage.
Vilonia's police chief, Brad McNew, told US television that tornado damage had rendered his town unrecognisable. "It's houses completely down to the foundations," McNew told NBC television.