LEE COUNTY, Alabama — More than a dozen people have been confirmed dead after a series of tornadoes touched down in Alabama and Georgia on Sunday afternoon.
Fourteen people have died in Lee County, Alabama, according to Sheriff Jay Jones. Among the dead are both children and adults, he said.
At least 12 of those deaths occurred in an area about 5 to 6 miles south of Opelika, Alabama, Jones said.
“We have a pretty significant area of damage,” Jones told CNN’s Ana Cabrera. He estimated a path of destruction about half a mile wide stretched several miles to the east from where the tornado touched down.
Several people have been taken to a hospital with serious injuries, Jones said.
Authorities were prioritizing search and rescue efforts on Sunday evening, Jones said, but were hampered by the dwindling light.
Multiple homes suffered significant damage, Jones told WRBL, and multiple agencies are working to assist in the search for injured people inside residences.