Police officers have said a mother and baby were among five killed after a tornado struck a highway near Oklahoma City.

Highway Patrol trooper Betsey Randolph said officers found the bodies of the woman and her daughter near a vehicle along Interstate 40 between El Reno and Yukon.

The tornado hit during the evening rush hour, smashing vehicles along a major highway near the city, with reports of several motorists injured and others missing.

The Oklahoma medical examiner’s office confirmed five people had been killed and 50 others hurt – five of them critically.

nn-Dee Lee, of the Office of Emergency Management, said 80,000 people had been left without power – with nearly 64,000 in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

She told : “We have numerous reports, although we do not have data, of other injuries and homes that were damaged, but we expect to have a lot better information in the morning when the sun comes up.”

Two thousand passengers at the city’s Will Rogers World Airport were moved into underground tunnels and no flights were arriving or departing.

Flash flooding and severe thunderstorm warnings were in place for several areas.

The warnings also covered the town of Moore, where 24 people were killed by a deadly storm on May 20.

Reports said four confirmed tornadoes had struck in the area around Oklahoma City, with winds up to 90mph and hail.

Extensive damage has been reported around the cities of El Reno and Yukon, according to KFOR television.

Lara O’Leary, a spokeswoman for the local ambulance agency, said: “There is very low visibility with the heavy rain … so we’re having trouble getting around.

“The damage is very, very widespread.”

The region is in part of the US Midwest known as “Tornado Alley”.