A deadly string of tornadoes cut a swath of destruction across the US midwest, killing at least 11 people and threatening scores more as a massive storm pushed eastward early Thursday.
A deadly string of tornadoes cut a swath of destruction across the US midwest, killing at least 11 people and threatening scores more as a massive storm pushed eastward early Thursday.
Homes were smashed to bits, cars were tossed into lakes, trees were uprooted and shops were reduced to rubble in towns from Nebraska to Kentucky as the powerful system whipped up strong winds, hail and ominous funnel clouds.
The town of Harrisburg, Illinois was the hardest hit after it was ripped apart by a deadly twister that stayed on the ground for miles, striking while most were still sleeping at around 04:30 local time (10:30 GMT) on Wednesday.
At least six people were killed and more than 100 injured in this southern Illinois town of 9,000.
The monster twister packed winds up to 170 miles (270 kilometers) per hour and damaged or destroyed up to 300 homes and 25 businesses, smashing a strip mall to bits and tearing a wall off the local hospital.
Rescue crews were digging through the rubble to search for survivors, but fire chief Bill Summers said that by late afternoon all those reported missing had been accounted for.
Harrisburg mayor Eric Gregg called the destruction and loss of life "devastating" and vowed to protect and care for those who were hurt and displaced.
"Dealing with a tornado like this is heartbreaking," he said at a press conference.
The National Weather Service has received 30 reports of tornadoes in six states since the storm began Tuesday, battering Nebraska and Kansas before rolling eastward to Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.
Severe thunderstorms pounded Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee Wednesday before drifting towards the eastern seaboard.
The governor of Illinois issued a state of emergency and went to Harrisburg to tour the damage.
The deadly storm marks an early start to tornado season in a region still recovering from record-breaking severe weather outbreaks.
Some 545 people were killed by tornadoes in 2011, which was the deadliest tornado season since 1936 and the third worst on record, according to the national weather service.
