Storms in the US state of Mississippi have left at least nine people, including children, dead. Governor Haley Barbour said there was "utter obliteration" in Yazoo County, where three died, and he declared a state of emergency in 17 counties. A church in Yazoo City was flattened and houses reduced to rubble. <br/> <br/>Tornados have also been reported in the nearby states of Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama, with the severe weather reported to be moving eastwards. <br/> <br/>Powerlines have been blown down and road are blocked by fallen trees, after a tornado almost blew through the centre of the state. The storms brought heavy rain to some areas. <br/>Five people died in five people in Choctaw County, two of them children, three in Yazoo County and one in Holmes County. <br/>