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Search on for US tornado victims Search on for US tornado victims
(about 16 hours later)
Rescue crews have been searching for victims of tornadoes that tore across five US states killing at least 48 people and injuring hundreds more. Rescue crews have been searching for victims of tornadoes that tore across five US states killing at least 55 people and injuring hundreds more.
The storms hit states including Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee at the end of the Super Tuesday presidential nominating votes. Dozens of twisters hit Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi at the end of the Super Tuesday presidential nominating votes.
Dozens of twisters upturned vehicles, damaged buildings and uprooted trees. The storms upturned vehicles, damaged buildings, uprooted trees and left thousands of people without power.
Hundreds of thousands of people are reported to have been left without power as a result. President George W Bush has offered aid and will visit Tennessee on Friday.
As residents tried to salvage what they could from homes reduced to piles of debris, rescue crews went door-to-door looking for more victims. "Loss of life, loss of property - prayers can help and so can the government," he said.
'Prayers can help' "I do want the people in those states to know the American people are standing with them."
The rare winter storms - ranking among the 15 worst tornado clusters in US history - killed at least 24 people in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas, seven in Kentucky and four in Alabama. Difficult rescue
President Bush offered disaster relief to those affected. "Prayers can help and so can the government," he said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has sent teams to the affected areas and set up an emergency centre in Georgia.
It just took the house and everything and my horses and my dog - I don't know if they're alive or dead Dara ReasonoverResident of Hartsville, Tennessee In pictures: Tornadoes strikeAnimated guide: Tornadoes It looks like the Lord took a Brillo pad and scrubbed the ground Phil BredesenGovernor of Tennessee In pictures: Tornadoes strikeAnimated guide: Tornadoes class="" href="#comments">Send us your comments
He said he had called the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee to offer them the administration's help with any emergency requests. The rare winter storms - which were among the worst tornado clusters in US history - killed at least 31 people in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas, seven in Kentucky and four in Alabama.
"I do want the people in those states to know the American people are standing with them," he said. As survivors tried to salvage what they could from the hundreds of destroyed homes, rescue crews went door-to-door looking for more victims.
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. Their efforts were hampered, however, by downed power lines, broken trees and overturned vehicles.
Pope County Coroner Leonard Krout said their home "took a direct hit". Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen said he was shocked by the scale of the Tuesday's storms, which "just literally sat on the ground in wide areas", leaving a trail of destruction up to 400 miles (643km) wide.
"Neighbours and friends who were there said, 'There used to be a home there'," Mr Krout told the Associated Press news agency. "It looks like the Lord took a Brillo pad and scrubbed the ground," he told reporters as he observed the damage from a helicopter.
Rescuers picked their way past downed power lines to search the town in the dark for survivors. Sympathy
At least three people died in Atkins, Arkansas The latest deaths to have been reported were in Tennessee's Sumner County, where two victims were found outside a house that had been blown away.
"This was an extraordinary night," said Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe. "When it's compounded by darkness, that makes it that much more difficult." Nearby, a mother was found dead some 250 yards away from her 11-month-old boy, who survived and is said to be in a good condition.
A couple were killed with their adult daughter in their mobile home near Greenville, in western Kentucky, when a tornado went through a trailer park.
Four more people were killed in Allen County, near the state border with Tennessee, a spokesman for the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management told AP.
'Ripped apart'
Flames shot hundreds of feet in the air after the Columbia Gulf Natural Gas pumping station in Hartsville, Tennessee, caught fire.
Officials said it had been struck by a tornado.
At Union University in Jackson, western Tennessee, several students were freed after being trapped in their badly damaged dormitory.
Union University President David Dockery told US media that 51 students had been taken to the hospital, and nine had stayed overnight.
A nearby resident said her home had been flattened by the storm.
"It just took the house and everything and my horses and my dog," Dara Reasonover told CNN. "I don't know if they're alive or dead, but we'll make it."
In Memphis, high winds collapsed the roof of a Sears store at a shopping mall.
Several students were trapped when a dormitory collapsed in Tennessee Tornado footage Several students were trapped when a dormitory collapsed in Tennessee Tornado footage
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 Atkins, Arkansas, a couple and their 11-year-old daughter were killed when their home was destroyed by a tornado.
In Southaven, Mississippi, a tornado wrecked warehouses in an industrial park. A couple and their adult daughter were killed near Greenville, in western Kentucky, when a tornado went through a trailer 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." Four more people were killed in Allen County, near the border with Tennessee.
Flames shot hundreds of feet in the air after the Columbia Gulf Natural Gas pumping station in Hartsville, Tennessee, was struck by a tornado.
At Union University in Jackson, western Tennessee, several students were freed after being trapped in their badly damaged dormitory. Dozens were taken to hospital.
A nearby resident said her home had been flattened by the storm.
"It just took the house and everything and my horses and my dog," Dara Reasonover told CNN. "I don't know if they're alive or dead."
In Memphis, the roof of a Sears store collapsed.
Presidential candidates including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee interrupted their Super Tuesday speeches to express sympathy for the victims.Presidential candidates including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee interrupted their Super Tuesday speeches to express sympathy for the victims.
Your comments:
There were numerous severe weather warnings on TV but i did not think it would get this bad. For most of the day the weather was normal but around 8pm the wind started blowing ferociously. All of a sudden we could hear sirens and we were ordered to the ground floor of our dormitory. After about half an hour it quickly became calm again. Luckily for us Arkansas State University was not damaged.Macnos Mutano, Jonesboro, USA
We are in Starkville, Mississippi and are getting hit by the severe weather really bad right now and I'm surprised that we still have power and internet capabilities. It is unknown how bad the aftermath of the storm will be until the sun rises. We are still fearful of tornadoes here. Please keep us in your intentions.Trevor Caulkins, Starkville, Mississippi USA
I live in Jackson, Tennessee, and watched the tornado as it passed less than a half-mile from where I was standing. There are 8 students still trapped in the University, as one of the dormitories has collapsed. As well as 50 elderly trapped inside a retirement home that collapsed. It has definitely been a terrifying night. Trees, buildings, power lines, street lights...they are down all over the place. Meaghan, Jackson, Tennessee, US
A friend's mother was hiding in a bathtub in Jackson, TN. We have not heard from her as of this time because phone lines are down. This is not the first time for tornadoes to rip through that area. The Main Street was destroyed a few years back in the same town.Vloxy, Dallas, TX
Have you or anybody you know been affected by the storms? Use the form below to send us your accounts, some of which may be published.Have you or anybody you know been affected by the storms? Use the form below to send us your accounts, some of which may be published.
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Read a selection of your comments:
There were numerous severe weather warnings on TV but i did not think it would get this bad. For most of the day the weather was normal but around 8pm the wind started blowing ferociously. All of a sudden we could hear sirens and we were ordered to the ground floor of our dormitory. After about half an hour it quickly became calm again. Luckily for us Arkansas State University was not damaged.Macnos Mutano, Jonesboro, USA
We are in Starkville, Mississippi and are getting hit by the severe weather really bad right now and I'm surprised that we still have power and internet capabilities. It is unknown how bad the aftermath of the storm will be until the sun rises. We are still fearful of tornadoes here. Please keep us in your intentions.Trevor Caulkins, Starkville, Mississippi USA
I live in Jackson, Tennessee, and watched the tornado as it passed less than a half-mile from where I was standing. There are 8 students still trapped in the University, as one of the dormitories has collapsed. As well as 50 elderly trapped inside a retirement home that collapsed. It has definitely been a terrifying night. Trees, buildings, power lines, street lights...they are down all over the place. Meaghan, Jackson, Tennessee, US
A friend's mother was hiding in a bathtub in Jackson, TN. We have not heard from her as of this time because phone lines are down. This is not the first time for tornadoes to rip through that area. The Main Street was destroyed a few years back in the same town.Vloxy, Dallas, TX
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