Tornado anguish
An entire family was wiped out as a deadly tornado ripped through the US state of Indiana, one of many such storms that have devastated parts of the Midwest and the Southern States.
Baby Angel Babcock had been the only member of her family to survive the initial impact when the storm hit their mobile home, but died soon after. Some 39 people were killed by the storms.
Among the news reports was one that told of a heroic mother who lost parts of both legs while using her body as a shield to protect her children.
According to the BBC, 36-year-old Stephanie Decker and her children were sheltering in the basement when their house disintegrated around them. Mrs Decker bound her eight-year-old son and five-year-old daughter in a blanket and threw herself on top of them as the three-story house collapsed.
The children were unscathed; Mrs Decker is recovering in hospital.