Deadly tornadoes sweep through Southern and Central US destroying towns and killing at least 12 (PHOTOS)

After a rare tornado lull, deadly twisters swept through southern and Central America Sunday, wiping out towns and neighborhoods and killing at least 12. Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma have been hit the hardest.

While local officials have only confirmed 12 deaths, the toll is expected to go up as rescue searchers are still looking for people who could have been caught in the debris.

Smaller tornadoes also hit Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa. The first twister was reported to have hit a rural area in Nebraska but officials said the twister remained on the ground for only a few minutes before disappearing. There was no damage, according to the Associated Press.

Vilonia, a small town in Faulkner County was completely ripped apart, entirely disrupting life and business in the area. A spokesperson from the area told Reuters it was a terrible "mass casualty" situation with several injured.

"Tonight, I walked around what was only hours earlier a thriving neighborhood that is now gone. An entire neighborhood of 50 or so homes has been destroyed - many homes are completely gone except the foundation," Tim Griffin, a U.S. Representative told Reuters.

"And there is more devastation like this in other parts of Arkansas," Griffin added.

Officials told the Los Angeles Times that the tornadoes crossed Interstate 40, a major trucking hub near Little Rock and hit the town of Mayflower before moving towards Vilonia and further. The National Weather Service reported that Arkansas Game and Fish Commission headquarters near Mayflower was completely destroyed.

Will Elder, an alderman at Mayflower told AlJazeera.com that about 45 homes have been wrecked and a lumberyard has also been destroyed in the city.

"It's extremely hazardous here right now. The power lines are down, roads are blocked and they will have to proceed with caution," Elder said.

Some pictures of the disaster and affected towns: