US Tornadoes, floods kill 14 people

Chicago -Tornadoes and floods in the United States killed at least 14 people, including two children, officials said on Saturday, with most of the fatalities in Oklahoma where a monster twister struck last month.

Friday night's storms battered areas in and around Oklahoma City with high winds, heavy rain and hail, much of it near where 24 people were killed in the 20 May tornado.

The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office announced nine fatalities in the state and said five of the victims have not been identified, while the sheriffs' offices in towns east of Oklahoma City confirmed two other people had died.

In Missouri, authorities said three people died from severe flooding in the wake of the storms.

Streets turned into rivers, with stranded cars submerged in water as high as their door handles in some places. CNN said a massive sink hole off a major road developed due to the deluge, halting traffic.

The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Centre in Norman, Oklahoma, warned that the severe weather was shifting eastward again Sunday, with damaging winds and heavy downpours - and possibly small hail and isolated tornadoes - expected to threaten northern Virginia through Maine.

And northern Mexico was also bracing for severe thunderstorms, strong winds, and possibly hail and tornadoes.

Local broadcaster KOCO reported that 77 people had been admitted to hospitals with storm-related injuries.

Power company OG&E, meanwhile, reported 65 000 outages by late on Saturday, down from a high of 120 000, and the American Red Cross has opened shelters for those in affected areas.