Killer Tornado Rampages Across Mississippi

A tornado nearly a mile wide has killed at least 10 people - including three children - after it ripped through the US state of Mississippi, authorities have said.

Nothing but rubble remains of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Yazoo City

Dozens more were injured after the storm tore roofs off buildings, reduced homes to rubble, overturned vehicles, downed power lines and toppled trees.
The tornado struck at least 13 counties, leaving some people trapped under debris, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said.

It is a major, significant tornado... and it did some huge damage.

Governor Haley Barbour

Five people died in Choctaw County, four in Yazoo County and one in Holmes County, said agency spokesman Greg Flynn.
Governor Haley Barbour declared a state of emergency after the first major US tornado of the year.
"It has done huge damage around Yazoo City," Mr Barbour, who grew up in the city, told CBS television channel.

The storm wrecked homes

"We have fatalities, a number of people that we're still trying to rescue who are trapped in buildings.
"But it is a major, significant tornado... and it did some huge damage and perhaps some fatalities north of here."
The emergency agency said: "The Hinds County Sheriff's Department is sending two dozen deputies and 100 inmates to assist with the response in Yazoo County and clear debris."
The storm system has moved to Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky, said Greg Carbin, spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.