In the United States, tornadoes have hit a large swathe of the Mid West, killing at least five people. The deaths occurred before dawn in the town of Woodward, in Oklahoma, after warning sirens failed to sound. A block of flats in the town was also damaged by the twister, after residents were caught by surprise.

Officials said twisters were reported in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma. One tornado destroyed large parts of the town of Thurman, in Iowa, on Saturday, but there were no major injuries.The National Weather Service had forecast further tornadoes early Sunday morning.