BREAKING NEWS: Tornado hits Hattiesburg, MS; causes significant damage and injuries

UPDATE: 9:32pm CST–ABCNews reports that injury reports are coming in. So far, 12 injuries have been reported, and none of them serious.  More video footage was just uploaded to YouTube 30 minutes ago:

A tornado ripped through Hattiesburg, MS Sunday as part of a battery of severe storms that cut through the state, overturning and damaging vehicles, downing trees, and causing many injuries. ABC News reports as of 17 minutes ago:

The twister traveled down one of Hattiesburg's main streets and caused what officials described as major damage, officials said, hitting several buildings on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi. Kyle Hopkins, emergency operations director for surrounding Forrest County, said officials hadn't confirmed injuries. There were reports of several people hurt elsewhere in the state.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch as of 46 minutes ago that will be on until 11:00pm CST. This watch Includes 5 counties in south central Mississippi Marion in southeast Mississippi Covington Forrest Jones Lamar this includes the cities of: Collins, Columbia, Hattiesburg. Laurel, Lumberton, Mount Olive, Purvis and West Hattiesburg.  A YouTube user Rynal Grant captured the twister on video:

Dakota O'Leary

Dakota O'Leary is a freethinker, and often sassy, scholar of theology and literature. She got her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Theology from the State University of New York College at Buffalo, and her Master of Arts degree in Theology and Literature from Antioch University-Midwest. She is a contributing writer focusing on eschatology, biblical prophecy, and general religious news. Dakota is a co-host of the God Discussion radio show, offering insight to the news stories of the week. We like to call her "our in-house Biblical prophecy expert" as her articles on eschatology have received over 200,000 views on God Discussion.

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