'You could see buildings exploding'

A twister flattened entire blocks of homes in a small Illinois town during the night as violent storms ravaged the Midwest and South, killing at least 12 people.

Winds also ripped through the country music mecca of Branson, Missouri, damaging some of the city's famous theaters.

The tornado that blasted Harrisburg in southern Illinois, killing six, was an EF4, the second-highest rating given to twisters based on damage. Scientists said it was 180m wide with winds up to 270 km/h.

Townspeople in the community of 9000 were sorting through piles of debris and remembering their dead while the winds still howled.

Not long after the storm, Darrell Osman raced to his mother's home, arriving just in time to speak to her before she was taken to a hospital with a head injury, a severe cut to her neck and a broken arm and leg. Mary Osman died a short time later.

The twister that raked Branson seemed to hopscotch up the city's main roadway, moving from side to side.

As sirens blared, Derrick Washington stepped out of his motel room just long enough to see a greenish-purple sky. Then he heard the twister roar. "Every time the tornado hit a building, you could see it exploding."

Just six guests were staying at J.R.'s Motor Inn, and all of them escaped injury by taking refuge in bathtubs. Manager Lori McGauley choked back tears thinking about what might have been. "We had 25 people booked for next week. If this happened a week later, we would have lost some people."

Looking at the city's main strip, it was difficult to believe there weren't more serious injuries. A shopping centre was nearly completely ruined.

Back in Harrisburg, Nell Cox woke up during the tornado and glanced outside to see her neighbour being blown out a window. "She crawled back to the front of my house." Cox grabbed the woman, brought her indoors and summoned an ambulance.

Debris was strewn everywhere - washing machines and dyers tossed in neighbours' yards, along with kitchen sinks and sticks of wood.

Osman and his sister sorted through the wreckage at the site of their mother's home. They found 10 old picture slides that were among a collection of hundreds. Some were caked in mud and damaged by water. "My mother was a Christian," Osman said. "I know she's in a better place. That is the only thing getting me through this."

- AP