Tornadoes In The US Have Already Killed 7 & Officials Are 'Still Searching For Bodies'
A 5-year-old is among the victims.
Aftermath of a tornado.
At least seven people have been killed, including a five-year-old child, after several storms and tornadoes touched down across the southern United States.
CNN also reports high winds from the storm ripped off the roofs of people's homes, damaged power lines and knocked over trees.
According to the Storm Prediction Center, there were reportedly around 35 preliminary tornadoes recorded on Thursday.
Six of the deaths were recorded in Alabama, which seems to be the hardest hit by the storms, and search missions are still underway confirmed Autauga County coroner Buster Barber to CNN.
In Georgia, a five-year-old was crushed to death after a tree fell on top of the car the child was in, the county’s coroner, Lacey Prue, told WSB TV.
There were others in the car with the child and one of them was sent to the hospital in critical condition.
“We have multiple deaths and [are] still searching for bodies,” Barber said to CNN during a phone interview.
The storms left over 147,000 residents without power across multiple states, including Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky, reported BBC.
Tens of thousands of people remained without power across several states on Friday, including 90,252 customers in Georgia, 42,648 in Alabama, and 14,823 people in Tennessee, according to PowerOutage.
The National Weather Service of Birmingham, Alabama, released multiple updates regarding the storm, including one warning residents to seek shelter immediately.
\u201c1:26 PM: A TORNADO EMERGENCY CONTINUES FOR TALLAPOOSA COUNTY. THIS IS A LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. IF IN THE POLYGON, TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY!!! REPEAT, THIS IS A LIFE THREATENING SITUATION!!\u201d— NWS Birmingham (@NWS Birmingham) 1673551676
“THIS IS A LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION,” read the tweet. “TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY!!!”
Widespread destruction is being reported as a result of the storm.
Local resident Deborah Brown, who was at a tax office when the storm hit, recalls rushing to safety after witnessing a tornado come toward them from down the street in a Facebook video.
“We could have been gone, y’all,” Brown said in the video. “We had to run for cover. We had to go run and jump in the closet.”
Officials say it will take days to survey the destruction as cleanup and rescue efforts continue across the affected states.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.