"Many in the Mississippi Delta need your prayer and God's protection tonight," Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves posted on Twitter Friday, as a tornado ripped through the Southern U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama.

At least seven people have died, authorities say and many more have been injured. Some may be trapped under the rubble caused by the tornado that traveled at as much as 70 miles per hour.

Search and rescue teams have been dispatched to the areas.