Race to find survivors after tornadoes tear through southern US

Rescuers are racing to find survivors after tornadoes swept through the southern US, killing at least nine people, including a child.

The death toll is expected to rise as emergency officials in Alabama and Georgia assess the damage on Friday.

Central Alabama was particularly badly hit, with seven deaths reported in Autauga County alone.

"We are finding more bodies as we speak," County Coroner Buster Barber told Reuters.

"We've got search teams out in the area," he said, adding that the number of people killed would probably rise throughout the day.

Emergency crews are cutting through fallen trees and scouring the rubble of destroyed homes while searching for survivors.

More than 35 tornadoes were reported by the National Weather Service (NWS) on Thursday. They swept across the south, mostly in Alabama and Georgia, bringing extreme winds that tore buildings apart and left thousands in the region without power.

Fewer than 15,000 people in Alabama were still without power on Friday afternoon, according to Poweroutages.us. There were also blackouts in Georgia and Mississippi.

Homes in Autauga County in central Alabama were left in ruins after tornadoes swept through on Thursday

At least 12 people were taken to hospital in Autauga County, while dozens of homes were completely destroyed, including several mobile homes that were launched into the air.

"They weren't just blown over," emergency official Ernie Baggett said. "They were blown a distance."

Some churches and community centres opened their doors in the county to provide food and hot showers for those in need.

The city of Selma was also badly hit, and while no deaths have been reported Mayor James Perkins called the damage there "tremendous".

"We have a lot of downed power lines," he said. "There is a lot of danger on the streets."

The mayor of Selma, Alabama said the city had seen "tremendous" damage

In Georgia's Butts County, a five-year-old was killed after a tree fell on to a car. An adult passenger was in a critical condition, the county coroner said.

A freight train was also reportedly blown off the tracks in the same county.

Elsewhere in Georgia, around 20 people who had gathered for a wake at a funeral home in the city of Griffin were forced to run for cover as a large tree fell on the building.

"When we came out, we were in total shock," Sha-Meeka Peterson-Smith, the funeral home's chief operational officer, told the Associated Press. "We heard everything, but didn't know how bad it actually was."

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the country, California has been pummelled by a series of severe storms that have caused flooding, mudslides and power outages. At least 18 people have died there due to the severe weather.

After a brief respite on Thursday, officials in California say more storms are forecast over the weekend that could increase the risk of further flooding and mudslides.