Young couple died shielding baby daughter as tornadoes ravage southern US

A young Arkansas couple has died shielding their young daughter from a tornado, amid a severe storm season ravaging the southern parts of the US.

Melissa and Michael Mooneyhan were among five people killed on Sunday when a stream of powerful tornadoes hit several small communities across Texas and Arkansas.

The couple lived in a mobile home in the town of Nashville, with their 18-month-old daughter.

Howard County Coroner John Gray said the home appeared as though it had “exploded” and said it was a miracle the young girl had survived, according to The New York Post.

The woman’s cousin, Polly McCammack, said the family was shattered.

“The family has been hit hard. They’re strong, but it’s almost like to the point you’re afraid to breathe,” she said.

Nashville was one of many towns devastated, with homes and businesses annihilated as a twister tore through the region.

The county’s tornado sirens reportedly blared for so long they ran out of batteries.

More than 70 tornadoes have ripped through the Midwest and Plains states including Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma, claiming multiple lives and injuring dozens of others, according to CNN.

Footage of towns ravaged by the storms showed downed trees and power lines, debris scattered across roads and the remains of family homes.

The National Weather Service had also issued dozens of tornado watches across parts of Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas.