A deadly tornado has reduced buildings to rubble and knocked out power as it ripped through several southern states in the US.

At least 23 people have been killed as severe storms battered Mississippi, Alabama and Texas on Friday.

Eldridge Walker, the mayor of Rolling Fork in Mississippi, has told US media his “city is gone” as people woke up to the reality they had lost their homes and businesses.

As one emergency management agency warns the number of deaths is expected to rise, we take a look at some of the most striking images from the devastation.