Deadly tornados and flash floods flattened buildings and overturned vehicles overnight as major storms churned through the United States, with the death toll surpassing 160 people.

The severe weather killed 128 people in Alabama on Wednesday alone, authorities said, and President Barack Obama said Washington would be rushing search and rescue assistance to the battered southeastern state.

States of emergency were declared in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Oklahoma, and governors called out the National Guard to help with rescue and cleanup operations. - Photos by AP