Missouri tornado kills at least five as search effort continues

At least five people have died after a tornado ripped through south-eastern Missouri, authorities said.  

The twister touched down just before 04:00 (10:00 GMT) on Wednesday in Bollinger County, officials said.

Residents who emerged to survey the damage found trees toppled on cars and and roofs ripped from homes. Search and rescue efforts continue.

Millions of Americans from Texas to the Great Lakes region were under a tornado watch on Wednesday.

National Weather Service (NWS) officials in Bollinger County, 50 miles (80km) south of St Louis, said that preliminary reports indicate the tornado was an EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. EF5 is the most powerful.

Estimated peak winds reached 130mph, the NWS said. It is estimated to have travelled 15 to 20 miles in a span of 15 minutes.

Officials told BBC News that local police and state highway patrol teams were assisting with rescue and recovery efforts.

Resident Josh Wells had fled to his sister's home before the tornado hit because she has a basement. His own home was heavily damaged overnight.

"We all ran down and huddled against the wall and my brother-in-law made it down just seconds before we heard the roaring sound of the wind and debris crashing around us," he told CBS, the BBC's US partner.

The frame of a mobile home that was blown away

First responders, emergency crews and local residents entered storm-battered neighbourhoods with heavy machinery and chainsaws on Wednesday afternoon, to begin clean-up and rescue efforts.

They found downed trees, smashed vehicles, destroyed mobile homes, and Kian Sutter, a man who sheltered in his bathtub with his dog as the tornado ripped away his front porch and caved in the wall of his living room.

Bollinger County's public administrator Larry Welker said residents of several trailer homes were still missing.

The destruction comes after a powerful storm system that killed at least 30 people battered the region, spawning dozens of tornados and severe thunderstorms.

There have been more than 80 reported tornadoes since 31 March, the NWS said.