STORMS that spawned deadly tornadoes have flattened buildings and knocked out power lines across the central and southern United States, raising the death toll to at least 70.
Forty-five people were killed in Alabama alone on Wednesday, authorities told Agence France-Presse, while the Associated Press reported 61 people were killed there - including 15 in the city of Tuscaloosa when a massive tornado barrelled through the area.
US President Barack Obama ordered the government to ''move quickly'' to get search and rescue aid to the southern state.
Earlier, states of emergency were declared in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi - where officials said 11 people were killed - Missouri, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Governors called out the National Guard to help with rescue and clean-up operations.
The extent of the damage was unclear on Wednesday evening, but officials said many people were still trapped in homes and buildings.
Many parts of Alabama had been on a tornado watch throughout the day, prompting schools, government offices and businesses to shut their doors early or remain closed, mayor Walter Maddox of Tuscaloosa said.
''I believe at the end of the day that will have saved many lives,'' he said of the emergency measures.
Mark Kelly, a spokesman for the Jefferson County Emergency Management Office, said the storm had picked up speed as it headed for the western part of the county, passing north of downtown Birmingham.
Mr Kelly said he had reports of roofs torn from homes, people trapped in buildings and power lines strewn across interstate roads.
The damage from the Alabama tornado was made worse by earlier storms, which had left the ground so soaked that instead of the winds just snapping trees and branches, they uprooted entire trees and tossed them onto power lines.
A spokesman for the Alabama Power Company said at least 335,000 customers were without power, and with more storms on the way, ''the number of outages could be as high as what we saw with hurricane Ivan or hurricane Katrina''.
Forty-five people were killed in Alabama alone on Wednesday, authorities told Agence France-Presse, while the Associated Press reported 61 people were killed there - including 15 in the city of Tuscaloosa when a massive tornado barrelled through the area.
US President Barack Obama ordered the government to ''move quickly'' to get search and rescue aid to the southern state.
Earlier, states of emergency were declared in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi - where officials said 11 people were killed - Missouri, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Governors called out the National Guard to help with rescue and clean-up operations.
The extent of the damage was unclear on Wednesday evening, but officials said many people were still trapped in homes and buildings.
Many parts of Alabama had been on a tornado watch throughout the day, prompting schools, government offices and businesses to shut their doors early or remain closed, mayor Walter Maddox of Tuscaloosa said.
''I believe at the end of the day that will have saved many lives,'' he said of the emergency measures.
Mark Kelly, a spokesman for the Jefferson County Emergency Management Office, said the storm had picked up speed as it headed for the western part of the county, passing north of downtown Birmingham.
Mr Kelly said he had reports of roofs torn from homes, people trapped in buildings and power lines strewn across interstate roads.
A spokesman for the Alabama Power Company said at least 335,000 customers were without power, and with more storms on the way, ''the number of outages could be as high as what we saw with hurricane Ivan or hurricane Katrina''.
