At least 25 people were killed and dozens more injured by the tornadoes that hit the state of Mississippi in the last few hours, in the southern tip of the USA.

“This is a tragedy,” state governor Tate Reeves said in a tweet, referring to the deadly tornadoes that wreaked havoc in a radius of about 150 kilometers.

US President Joe Biden spoke of heartbreaking images and assured that the federal government will do “everything it can to help” those affected “for as long as it takes”.

In Rolling Fork, a town of about 2,000 in western Mississippi, entire city blocks were flattened, debris strewn across streets, cars overturned and trees uprooted.

“It took almost everything in its path,” Patricia Perkins, 61, said of the tornado. “Most of the shops were leveled,” he added.

Aaron Rigsby, a tornado chaser, said he arrived Friday night in the area and heard “screams of people trapped in the rubble, calling for help.” He told Agence France-Presse (AFP) how he freed two women he found in the rubble of their homes. The first had been crushed by the roof of her house, while the second was found trapped between a sofa and the refrigerator.

Speaking to CNN, Rolling Fork Mayor Eldridge Walker said, “My city is gone.” “Demolished houses can be replaced, but you can’t replace a life,” he continued.

As ABC reported earlier, at least 13 people were killed in Sharkey County, three in Carroll County, two in Monroe County and one in Humphreys County.

Severe storms also hit neighboring Alabama, where a man died when his mobile home overturned, according to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office.

The central and southern US states are often hit by tornadoes. In December 2021, about 80 people were killed by tornadoes that swept through Kentucky.