At least 23 people have been confirmed dead after a tornado ripped across south-east Alabama on Sunday.
Emergency services rushed to the area after a severe storm left a trail of destroyed mobile homes, trees and vehicles in its wake.
Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said that the ‘sheer volume of the debris’ was some of the most he had ever seen.
He warned that the current death count ‘may rise again’ as rescue teams continue to scan the area.
Drones equipped with heat sensors are now being flown over the debris in an attempt to find survivors, after dangerous conditions halted the search last night.
Mr Jones said the tornado travelled straight down a key artery in Beauregard and that the path of damage and destruction looked to be at least half a mile wide.
Many people had been taken to hospitals, ‘some of them with very serious injuries’ he added.
Rita Smith, spokeswoman for the Lee County Emergency Management Agency, said about 150 first responders had helped efforts to search the debris after the powerful storm hit.
The twister has been given an F3 rating on the damage scale, meaning that there have been ‘roofs blown off homes, sheds and outbuildings demolished and mobile homes overturned’. F5 is the highest ranking a twister can receive.
Radar and video evidence picked up the tornado crossing the area near Beauregard shortly after 2pm, said meteorologist Meredith Wyatt with the Birmingham, Alabama, office of the National Weather Service.
Numerous tornado warnings were posted across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina on Sunday afternoon as the powerful storm raced across the region.
Weather officials said they confirmed other tornadoes around the region by radar alone and would send teams out early on Monday to assess the situation involving those and others.
The threat of severe weather continued into the late-night hours.
Earlier this morning US President Donald Trump tweeted his blessings to those in affected areas.
‘To the great people of Alabama and surrounding areas: Please be careful and safe,’ he wrote.
‘Tornadoes and storms were truly violent and more could be coming. To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all!’
