The death toll from a series of storms and tornadoes across the southern United States soared to at least 295, with 194 confirmed fatalities in the state of Alabama alone.
Officials warned that the definitive toll of what was already the worst tornado disaster to hit the United States in decades would probably not be known for days.
"We have right now a total of 194 fatalities that we know. Now, those are confirmed fatalities and we only confirm them if we have a medical examiner or physician confirm the death," Alabama Governor Robert Bentley told a press conference in his partly destroyed hometown of Tuscaloosa.
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The overall toll includes 33 deaths in Tennessee, 32 in Mississippi, 14 in Georgia, 11 in Arkansas, eight in Virginia, two in Mississippi, and one in Kentucky, according to state officials contacted by AFP.
