A powerful tornado has killed at least 11 people and injured dozens of others in the US state of Indiana, local emergency officials say.

Seven people are reported to have killed at a mobile home park in Evansville, while four people are said to have been killed in Newburgh.

The storm hit southern Indiana and parts of Kentucky at about 02:00 a.m. by local time. Alarm sirens sounded only about 10 minutes before the tornado hit.

Newburgh assistant fire chief Chad Bennett said: "Most people were asleep. They probably didn`t hear the sirens".

"We`ve had severe damage. Homes were totally devastated." He added the death toll could climb as rescue workers searched through rubble.

Local officials are said to have declared a local state of emergency, the first step toward requesting state assistance.

bbc news
sections: Accidents