In pictures: Monster tornado hits Oklahoma

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image captionThe huge tornado ripped through Moore - a suburb of 55,000 people.
image captionEntire neighbourhoods were flattened.
image captionResidents are returning to what remains of their homes. Here, a man salvages possessions from his grandmother's house in Moore.
image captionThe high winds - some of the strongest recorded - stripped vegetation from the landscape.
image captionResidents have been helping one another cope with the aftermath of the tornado.
image captionMany vehicles were overturned and crushed by the storm.
image captionPlaza Towers Elementary School was one of the most heavily damaged buildings.
image captionRescuers pulled a number of children alive from the wreckage of school.
image captionBut across the suburb at least nine children were among the 24 killed.
image captionSome pupils were carried away by their distraught parents and others.
image captionPresident Barack Obama declared a major disaster and ordered federal authorities to join in the search efforts.
image captionIt was at least the third tornado to strike Moore since 1999, when more than 40 people were killed.
image captionThe Moore Medical Center was also badly damaged by the tornado.
image captionRescue workers helped free at least 15 people trapped in the debris from the building.
image captionMeteorologists said the twister generated winds of up to 200mph (321km/h) which reduced some districts to rubble.
image captionTeachers evacuated pupils from another school - Briarwood Elementary - which was also hit by the twister.
image captionHere Dana Ulepich searches inside a room left standing at the back of her house.
image captionRachel Hilton holds stray kittens she found in the debris of her parent's home.

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