At least ten people were killed when in...

CNN said two children were among those killed. The death toll is expected to rise further as rescuers reach hardest-hit areas.

"We still have people trapped in houses and cars. It reminds me of [Hurricane] Katrina," a Jackson-based daily, The Clarion-Ledger, quoted Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour as saying in its online edition.

A local ABC affiliate WLOX said 11 people were killed: two people in Yazoo County, seven people in Choctaw County and two more in Weir, Mississippi.

Some two dozens of injured residents were taken to hospitals so far, at least four of them are in critical condition.

With the damage path stretching as long as 125 miles, the state of emergency was declared in 17 counties. Several locations are still inaccessible due to downed power lines.

According to an unconfirmed CNN report, the hurricane also damaged a chemical plant in Tallulah, Louisiana, before lashing Mississippi.

MOSCOW, April 25 (RIA Novosti)