After a tornado ripped across the US state of Mississippi on Friday night, at least 23 people have died.
Additional victims are reportedly believed to be buried beneath the wreckage of demolished buildings.
Tens of thousands of power outages were reported, and the twister destroyed several rural settlements where trees and electricity lines were destroyed.
In addition, several other southern states are preparing for severe storms.
In some sections of the state, golf ball-sized hail and significant rains have been observed.
It’s unclear at this time if the area was affected by a single tornado or multiple. Despite yesterday’s National Weather Service warning that many tornadoes were expected, it’s conceivable that a single “skipping tornado”—a twister that rises from the ground only to touch down again—was to blame for the destruction.
Residents of the little village of Rolling Fork in western Mississippi claimed that a tornado destroyed the back windows of their houses. According to reports, the destruction is particularly severe in the area.