Deadly tornado kills four as it rips through US city

FOUR people died and nearly three dozen were injured when a tornado hit a small city in Iowa, US officials said, while a fifth person was killed elsewhere.

The twister that tore through Greenfield on Tuesday was rated at least an EF-3 by the country's National Weather Service and was so destructive that it took authorities more than a day to account for the area's residents.

It is believed that the number of people injured is likely to be higher, the Iowa Department of Public Safety said.