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Picture of the day: Massive tornadoes rip across Oklahoma, at least two killed

Several massive tornadoes churned above Oklahoma on Monday, with at least two touching down in the US Plains state, killing at least two people, the authorities and US media said.

The first confirmed twister hit near Elgin, in Comanche county. "Strong winds and hail as large as grapefruits were reported," News9 television reported. "It was nearly a mile wide."

Near Stillwater, roofs were ripped off homes, and an empty bus was blasted upward and left dangling in a tree, the channel reported.

A second confirmed rain-surrounded tornado then ripped across Ninnekah around 4:00 pm (2100 GMT) local time, the report said.

One man was killed in Garvin county, KFOR reported.

Trees were uprooted and mobile homes toppled in Johnston county, as well as in Murray county, KFOR television said.

At least two people were killed, CNN reported, while local television stations reported many people as yet unaccounted for.