At least 25 people were killed by devastating tornadoes that ripped across the southern US state of Mississippi, tearing off roofs, smashing cars and flattening entire neighborhoods, with the region readying for more severe weather Sunday.

The powerful weather system, accompanied by thunderstorms and driving rain, cut a path of more than 100 miles (60 kilometers) across the state late Friday, slamming several towns along the way.

Mississippi's emergency management agency put the death toll at 25, and said dozens more were injured. Four people reported missing "have been found," it added.

And in Alabama, one man died after being trapped when a trailer overturned in the severe weather, the sheriff's office in Morgan County said on Twitter.

In Rolling Fork, home to fewer than 2,000 people, an entire row of houses and buildings was demolished, leaving only scattered debris. Cars were overturned, fences ripped up and trees uprooted.

Some 4,800 customers were without power in Mississippi, and nearly 11,000 homes and businesses remained in the dark in neighboring Alabama, monitor poweroutage.us reported.

Mississippi was meanwhile girding for more turbulent weather Sunday, including damaging winds and hail, with the state's emergency management agency warning that "tornadoes cannot be ruled out."

Patricia Perkins, who works at a hardware store in Rolling Fork, told AFP that "most everything is wiped away."

Resident Shanta Howard described to local TV how members of the community had to help remove the dead from the wreckage.

"It's way worse than I thought. All of the businesses on Highway 61 are gone," Ricky Cox, whose seed supply store was wrecked, told AFP, saying two friends died when their homes were hit.

"My city is gone," Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker told CNN. "Devastation — as I look from left to right, that's all I see.

"A lot of families are hurting. This community is in a situation that we never expected.

"Houses that are torn up can be replaced but we can't replace a life."

Search and rescue operations were underway in Sharkey County, home to Rolling Fork — about 60 miles northwest of the state capital Jackson — and neighboring counties.

Fatalities also occurred in Humphreys, Carroll and Monroe counties, the emergency management agency said.

"The loss will be felt in these towns forever," state Governor Tate Reeves said on Twitter. "Please pray for God's hand to be over all who lost family and friends."

President Joe Biden called the images from Mississippi "heartbreaking" and vowed to put federal resources at the state's disposal.

"We will do everything we can to help. We will be there as long as it takes," he said in a statement.

– 'Constant cry' for help –

Storm chaser Aaron Rigsby told AFP he arrived in Rolling Fork right after the storm hit, in the pouring rain and with "lightning still all around."

"When I got there, it was just a constant cry of voices screaming for help from people that were trapped," he said, adding he helped residents to free a few people from their destroyed homes.

The National Weather Service issued a rare tornado emergency for Rolling Fork and surrounding areas at 9:00 pm Friday, warning people to seek shelter from life-threatening conditions and forecasting golf ball-sized hail.

The NWS warned residents that as clean-up operations continue, "dangers remain even after the storms move on."

Malary White, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, told CBS News affiliate WJTV that the "main priority right now, especially for the local first responders, it's life safety and accounting for the people and making sure they are safe."

Tornadoes, a weather phenomenon notoriously difficult to predict, are relatively common in the United States, especially in the central and southern parts of the country.

In January, a series of damaging twisters, all on the same day, left several people dead in Alabama and Georgia.

'Direct hit' — shock and grief after tornados strike Mississippi
Washington (AFP) March 25, 2023 –

"I know of two friends who lost their life," Rolling Fork business owner Ricky Cox said as he started to absorb the devastating consequences of tornadoes that ripped across Mississippi.

"It's way worse than I thought. All of the businesses on Highway 61 are gone," he told AFP on Saturday as he picked up emergency supplies to deliver to those in need.

Cox has owned Southern Ag Distributors, a seed and chemical supplier, on Highway 61 for 12 years.

The tornado "tore the building up — I won't be able to do anything out of it," the 61-year-old said.

Cox, who lives one hour away near the state capital Jackson, drove to Rolling Fork late on Friday to check on his business as the powerful storm hit.

It was "hard to get into town," he said. "We had to cut trees and move power lines."

During a traumatic night, he picked up a doctor and nurses to take them to help victims at the local hospital.

Cox said two friends were confirmed dead after suffering a "direct hit" on their homes.

There would be "a lot more" than the current 23 confirmed deaths, he predicted.

– 'Cries for help' –

Stormchaser and photographer Aaron Rigsby described arriving at the scene and hearing "a constant cry of voices screaming for help from people that were trapped."

"There was a lady that didn't quite make it to her shelter in time and she had gotten blown down and part of her house had actually collapsed on top of her," he told AFP.

"I was able to free her from all the debris, but she had a leg injury and I had to go flag down a few ambulances to get her a stretcher."

Another elderly lady "was pinned between her couch and her entire roof and refrigerator from the kitchen had collapsed on top of her.

"And it was the same scene all across town."

Patricia Perkins also spoke to AFP by phone, saying she was in "what used to be Rolling Fork."

"Most everything is wiped away," she said, telling how she headed to the hardware store where she works as it had a generator and stayed open all night.

Tearful Tracy Harden, owner of the destroyed Chuck's Dairy Bar, told CNN that hiding in a cooler room saved her and several others' lives.

"It was like no notice. We didn't know what was happening," she said. "I got a message from my daughter and my sister, saying 'there's a tornado — get to safety.'

"All of a sudden the lights started flickering. I don't know if it was me or somebody who said 'cooler' and my husband started just pushing us all in the cooler, and this little spot saved our lives."

Jeremy McCoy, a constable in neighboring Yazoo County, told CNN an entire trailer park was "gone."

"It looks like a landtip. It's rubbish," he said, describing "semi-trucks and trailers stacked on top of each other.

"I've been in several (storms), but I've never seen one this bad.

"My hope was to get there to help rescue those people. But, you know, if you didn't have heavy machinery, there's nothing you can do.

"(I was) screaming out, calling out, physically looking. But it was so hard to see. Just hoping to hear somebody… but nothing."