HViolent storms have killed at least 23 people in southern Mississippi. This was announced by the local civil protection early on Saturday morning (local time) via Twitter. Dozens of people were also injured. “Unfortunately, these numbers are likely to change,” the agency continued.
The ABC station had previously reported at least 19 deaths on Saturday night, citing several local authorities, and the CNN station spoke of at least 21 deaths.
The National Weather Service confirmed at least one tornado. This caused damage in the cities of Silver City and Rolling Fork, the authority said on Twitter. There were also reports of other tornadoes in the US media, some of which came from the neighboring state of Alabama.
A local resident told CNN that the destruction was severe. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Brandy Showah of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, told the station. “It was a great small town — and now it’s gone.” The storms in the state swept roofs off houses, uprooted trees and power lines, and almost flattened some neighborhoods, according to media reports.
In Mississippi alone, 15,500 customers were without power early Saturday morning, poweroutage.us reported. Power outages were also reported from the neighboring states of Tennessee and Alabama.
There was no information about the age of the victims. Rescue and salvage workers are on duty, civil protection said on Twitter. The agency previously issued warnings of a series of tornadoes in the region.
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