Six people, including two children, have been killed as a tornado rips through Iowa.
Severe storms with 165mph winds have hit Winterset, Iowa, with three adults currently in a serious condition.
Madison County Emergency Management director Diogenes Ayala confirmed six fatalities when the tornado hit south west of the town at 4.30pm local time.
Homes have been completely flattened and buildings destroyed
Residents have been told to seek shelter as the tornado moves north east across the state.
Heavy storms caused more than 10,500 people in Des Moines to lose power.
The National Weather Service has classified the tornado as "severe" and category three on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with winds reaching speeds of 136-165mph.
The agency said on Twitter that the situation was "extremely dangerous."
Locals have reported running for cover as the tornado approached with some barely making it to shelter before the winds hit.
Mandy Jurgensen's pick-up truck ended up 50ft from where it had been parked, she told the Des Moines Register.
She had been watching TV with her boyfriend when the storm hit and said "all of a sudden it got dark outside".
The couple, who live in Winterset, ducked to the floor as the tornado destroyed neighbouring buildings and businesses.
Madison County resident Jenn O’Neal, whose flower farm was destroyed in the storm, said in an Instagram video: “It was scariest thing I’ve ever experienced. Our ears started popping, it sounded like a vacuum.
“We don’t have anything left except our lives and our house but I’m grateful for that, and everything else doesn’t matter.”
Another resident said her family barely made it to the basement before the walls of their home started to collapse around them.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing
