Thunderstorms and tornados kill at least 19 in US midwest

Severe thunderstorms packing tornadoes and grapefruit-sized hail left a path of destruction across six Midwest states, killing 15 people in west Tennessee and at least four others in Missouri and Illinois.

Yesterday’s storms caused a clothing store to collapse in Illinois, overturned mobile homes in several states, and pelted thousands of concertgoers with rain in downtown Indianapolis.

Power was knocked out to at least 300,000 customers in Illinois, Missouri and Indiana. Half a dozen tornadoes and massive hail were reported in north-east Arkansas, where about half the town of Marmaduke was evacuated because of gas leaks and other concerns, police said.

In Tennessee, eight people died near Newbern in Dyer County and seven in neighbouring Gibson County.

Gibson County emergency officials set up a temporary command post, triage centre and morgue in Rutherford, where three people were killed.