Storms kill more than 160 in U.S. south

At least 128 people were killed in the southeastern state of Alabama, making it the heaviest-hit state, which was followed by the southern state of Mississippi, where 32 people perished.

A tornado left a trail of destruction in Tuscaloosa, a city of 90,000 residents in Alabama, on Wednesday afternoon, which killed at least 15 people and injured more than 100 others, according to local paper Birmingham News.

The highest toll is in Franklin county, northwest of the state, where 18 people died, according to the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.

President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency in Alabama, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts in the state. Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.xinahuanet.com for full version