Tornado in US claims 24 lives

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At least 24 people were dead after nearly a week of tornadoes, heavy rains and flooding in several US south-central states.

Six people lost their lives in Texas after a new tornado touched down near Dallas late on Saturday.

Earlier, the bodies of a man and a woman – who were missing after a tornado in Mississippi – were found, bringing the state’s death toll to 10.

The storms across the South have been unusually powerful for winter.

Six people died in Tennessee. Arkansas and Alabama each reported one fatality.

Meanwhile, officials said Texas and Oklahoma could be hit with a “historic blizzard”, bringing up to 16in (41cm) of snow.

Motorists were warned they could face icy roads.

In Texas, four people died in traffic accidents Garland, just east of Dallas, on Saturday evening.

Another two people were reported dead at a petrol station in the nearby town of Copeville.