At least five people have been killed after a powerful tornado hit a small city in eastern Texas.

It struck Canton last night, leaving behind a trail of overturned vehicles, mangled trees and damaged home.

One local medical centre told local media that they had received 36 injured patients, with one patient's injuries described as critical.

Local broadcaster Fox 4 reports that the Red Cross has established two emergency shelters in the area.

In comments quoted by CBS-DFW, Captain Horton of the Canton Fire Department said: “We’ve got special units task forces from around the state that are going to be coming in and going through these areas. We still may have some people that are unaccounted for.

"It’s going to be an ongoing process. This isn’t going to be taken care of overnight," he added.