Rescue workers searched the rubble of a school in Moore, Oklahoma, on Monday to find some two dozen missing children following a huge tornado that leveled part of the town, Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb said.

In an interview on CNN, Lamb said rescue workers rushed in fading light to try to find the children at the school, which took a direct hit from a tornado packing winds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 kph).

At least 51 people have been confirmed dead in the tornado, which struck at midafternoon Monday.

(Reuters)