**Storms in the US state of Mississippi have left at least seven people, including children, dead.**Governor Haley Barbour said there was “utter obliteration” in Yazoo County, where three died, and he declared a state of emergency in 17 counties.
A church in Yazoo City was flattened and houses reduced to rubble.
Tornados have also been reported in the nearby states of Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama, with the severe weather reported to be moving eastwards.
[http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/icons/video_text.gif
Aerial footage of the devastation](http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7230000/newsid_7231200?redirect=7231284.stm&news=1&bbwm=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&nbram=1&asb=1)
Powerlines have been blown down and road are blocked by fallen trees, after a tornado almost a mile (1.6 km) wide, blew through the centre of the state.
The storms brought heavy rain to some areas.
As well as Yazoo County, Choctaw County and Holmes County suffered severe damage.
“There are lots of places where a person can get blown off the road,” said Gov Barbour.
"And so we’ve got a lot of volunteers, as well as professional people from the local fire departments who are just trying to run through there and look everywhere to make sure we don’t miss anybody."This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/bbcnewsworldfullfeed?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/bbcnewsworldfullfeed?d=dnMXMwOfBR0 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/bbcnewsworldfullfeed?i=d2D03Ibv220:hD9TKyCR2dc:V_sGLiPBpWU
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/bbcnewsworldfullfeed/~4/d2D03Ibv220