5 dead as tornadoes ravage US Midwest

A vehicle sits on a pile of debris from the destruction caused by a tornado that touched down in Washington, Illinois, November 17, 2013. A fast-moving storm system triggered multiple tornadoes on Sunday, killing at least five people, injuring about 40 and flattening large parts of the city of Washington, Illinois as it tore across the Midwest, officials said. [Photo/Agencies]

CHICAGO - Violent tornadoes and severe storms swept across the US Midwest on Sunday, killing at least five people and leaving dozens more injured.

Nearly 80 tornadoes battered the region as of 8 pm local time (0200 GMT, Monday), most of which took place in Illinois and Indiana, with a few in Kentucky, the US National Weather Service said.

Extensive damage was reported in the towns of Washington and Pekin in northern Illinois, where parts of the town have been leveled and many buildings destroyed.

Storms darkened downtown Chicago at midday, bringing heavy rains and strong winds, the speed of which could reach as high as 70 mph. Witnesses even spotted funnel cloud in McHenry County, about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Chicago.

Due to the storms, the Chicago Bears-Baltimore Ravens football game, scheduled to take place at noon at the Soldier Field in downtown Chicago, has been postponed, and the fans were evacuated to take shelter inside the Soldier Field.

The tornado danger continues to shift eastward across the lower Great Lakes and Ohio Valley.

The US National Weather Service warned that numerous powerful, fast-moving thunderstorms, capable of producing tornadoes along with widespread damaging winds and large hail, will continue to threaten the Ohio Valley and Mid-South Sunday evening.

Reports said that severe weather has wreaked havoc across 26 states in the United States on Sunday.