Six dead in Christmas tornadoes

This is the terrifying moment fierce winds that have claimed the lives of six people in the last 24 hours toppled a truck on a highway in Mississippi.

Incredibly the driver of the lorry survived after his vehicle was sent flying in Clarksdale - where a tornado struck on Wednesday - but others were less lucky.

A twister touched down in north west Mississippi, destroying at least 20 homes, while a seven-year-old boy and two other people died as a result of the biblical weather in the state.

A tree blew over onto a house in Arkansas, killing an 18-year-old woman and trapping her one-year-old sister inside. Rescuers pulled the toddler safely from the home. 

Two people were killed in Perry County, Tennessee, south west of Nashville, CNN reported, while another two people are still missing in the area. At least 40 people have been injured.

Thousands of people are without power in Indiana and Arkansas, as families batten down the hatches with just a day to go until Christmas. 

The freak weather came as forecasters at AccuWeather predicted that Christmas Eve could see temperatures as warm as those experienced on July 4 - with highs of 80F in some parts of the eastern U.S..

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