5 dead as tornadoes ravage U.S. Midwest

·  Violent tornadoes swept across the U.S. Midwest,killing five people and leaving dozens more injured.

· 80 tornadoes battered the region as of 8 p.m. localtime, most of which took place in Illinois andIndiana.

· The tornado danger continues to shift eastward acrossthe lower Great Lakes and Ohio Valley.

Photo taken on Nov, 17, 2013 shows remains ofhouses and property destroyed by a tornado in the town of Washington, IL, the United States. A tornadotouched down in Chicago-area in theU.S.state of Illinoisat midday Sunday, bringing along heavy rains and strong winds, accompanied bythunderbolts and lightning, and turning the sky as pitch dark as night.(Xinhua/Ting Shen)

CHICAGO,Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Violent tornadoes and severe storms swept across the U.S.Midwest on Sunday, killing at least five people and leaving dozens moreinjured.

Nearly 80 tornadoesbattered the region as of 8 p.m. local time (0200 GMT, Monday), most of whichtook place in Illinois and Indiana,with a few in Kentucky,the U.S. National Weather Service said.

Extensive damage wasreported in the towns of Washington and Pekin in northern Illinois,where parts of the town have been leveled and many buildings destroyed.

Storms darkened downtownChicago at midday, bringing heavy rains and strong winds, the speed of whichcould reach as high as 70 mph.Witnesses even spotted funnel cloud in McHenry County, about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Chicago.

Due to the storms, theChicago Bears-Baltimore Ravens football game, scheduled to take place at noonat the Soldier Field in downtown Chicago,has been postponed, and the fans were evacuated to take shelter inside theSoldier Field.

The tornado dangercontinues to shift eastward across the lower Great Lakes and Ohio Valley.

The U.S. NationalWeather Service warned that numerous powerful, fast-moving thunderstorms,capable of producing tornadoes along with widespread damaging winds and largehail, will continue to threaten the Ohio Valley and Mid-SouthSunday evening.

Reports said that severeweather has wreaked havoc across 26 states in theUnited Stateson Sunday.