Tornados in southern U.S. kill at least 32

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Tornadoes ripped through the southern United States, killing at least 32 people and leaving behind splintered buildings and downed power lines, officials and U.S. media said Monday.

Twisters caused catastrophic damage on Easter Sunday and early Monday morning as storms moved through a region stretching from Texas to Georgia, prompting the National Weather Service to issue its highest level of tornado alert.

Images showed lines of smashed, roofless houses where tornadoes had blasted through, many homes just piles of rubble sitting atop foundations. Aircrafts parked at a regional airport in Monroe, Louisiana were piled on top of each other.

A man embraces his son Conner, 6, after the family survived a deadly tornado in Murray County, North Carolina, April 13, 2020. /AP

The Weather Channel said at least 32 people had died across the region, including local tolls. Nine people died in South Carolina. Meanwhile, only one death occurred in North Carolina.

Seven people were reported to have been killed when tornadoes hit a mobile home park near the Georgia-Tennessee border.

The Weather Channel also reported that one person in Arkansas was killed when a tree fell on a house, plus two other deaths in Alabama.

The National Weather Service found damage caused by winds estimated to be up to 235 kilometers per hour.

U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration "will do everything possible to help those communities get back on their feet," promising that the Federal Emergency Management Association was already offering assistance.

A family took shelter in the bathroom during a tornado on April 12, 2020, as the rest of their home fell around them, Wathall County, Mississippi. /AP

Over 1.3 million electricity customers were without power after the storms went through.

The governors of Mississippi and Louisiana declared states of emergency.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves tweeted that "we are mobilizing all resources available to protect our people and their property."

Earlier on Sunday, Reeves urged residents to take the "severe storms very seriously " and take precautions to keep safe.

He later retweeted a message from the state disaster agency, reminding people to cover their noses and mouths and practice social distancing to prevent the spread of coronavirus if they had to go to public storm shelters.

The storm system first pummeled Texas with severe weather Saturday and headed east to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

(With input from agencies)