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Many dead in southern US storms Storms wreak havoc in southern US
(about 2 hours later)
At least 22 people have been killed and many more injured in severe storms across the southern US. At least 26 people have been killed and dozens injured by violent tornadoes in four southern US states.
Worst hit were the states of Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi. The twisters hit Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky at the end of a day of Super Tuesday nominating votes for November's presidential election.
A number of tornadoes were reported, destroying several buildings, and rescue teams have been searching through the night for possible victims. A huge fire erupted at a natural gas pumping station in Tennessee that may have been damaged by the storms.
In one incident, several people sheltering under a bridge were swept into a river, but were rescued with only minor injuries. In the same state, students were trapped under rubble in their dormitory after a tornado made the roof cave in.
Arkansas and Tennessee were among states holding nominating votes on Tuesday for November's presidential election. The US National Weather Service said at least six tornadoes had touched down in the 100 miles (160km) between Jackson and Oxford, Mississippi.
'Extraordinary night' This was an extraordinary night Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe
The storms killed at least 11 people in Tennessee, eight in Arkansas and three in Kentucky. The storms killed at least 11 people in Arkansas, 12 in Tennessee and three in Kentucky, authorities said.
The full extent of the damage may not be clear until daybreak. Hundreds of thousands of people are reported to have been left without power.
In Arkansas, a couple and their 11-year-old daughter were killed in their home after a tornado touched down near the centre of the town of Atkins, a community of 3,000 along the Arkansas River in the central part of the state. A couple and their 11-year-old daughter were killed when their home was destroyed by a tornado that touched down near the centre of the town of Atkins, Arkansas. Rescuers searched the town in the dark for survivors.
"This was an extraordinary night," Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said. "This was an extraordinary night," said Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe. "When it's compounded by darkness, that makes it that much more difficult."
In Memphis, Tennessee, a shopping centre was damaged and had to be evacuated with some injuries, reports said. 'Ripped apart'
Six tornado warnings are still in place in Kentucky, where the National Weather Center was urging people to seek shelter immediately. Flames shot hundreds of feet in the air after the Columbia Gulf Natural Gas pumping station near Green Grove, Tennessee, caught fire. The Associated Press news agency quoted authorities as saying that the fire had spread to nearby houses, killing an undetermined number of people.
At Union University in Jackson, western Tennessee, at least three students were trapped under the rubble of their dormitory. They were said to have talked by phone to rescuers who were trying to dig them out.
In Memphis, Tennessee, a storm tore a wall off a shopping centre. Police said some people who took shelter under a nearby bridge were washed away, but were pulled from the Wolf River with only minor injuries.
In Southaven, Mississippi, a tornado wrecked warehouses in an industrial park.
Local police commander Steve Atkinson said: "It ripped the warehouses apart. The best way to describe it is it looks like a bomb went off."
Presidential candidates including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee interrupted their Super Tuesday speeches to express sympathy for the victims.
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