A tornado tore through the southern US city of Tupelo on Sunday, blowing the roofs off homes and tearing down trees and power lines, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

“Emergency crews are now assessing the degree of damage,” the mayor's office said in a statement on Facebook, urging people to stay in their homes.

Social media images and videos showed the roofs of many homes and buildings blown away, electricity lines down and streets in the Mississippi city swamped with debris.

“This is a life-threatening situation,” the national weather service wrote on Twitter. “Please take shelter in the Tupelo area.”