Two dead as storms tear through central US states

Tornadoes and storms ripping through several central states in the US have killed two people and injured dozens, officials say.

Meanwhile, a tropical storm has affected the Carolinas in the south east, and wintry weather hit parts of Colorado in the Mountain West.

Two people died from storms in south-western Arkansas. Howard County Sheriff Brian McJunkins said the victims lived in adjoining mobile homes and that two other people were critically injured. In the small town of Van in north-east Texas, about two dozen people were injured and some homes were destroyed after a severe storm struck, an emergency management official said .