At least five people were killed in southeastern Missouri when a tornado struck the area before dawn Wednesday morning, officials said. Mark Winkler, director of the Cape Girardeau County Office of Emergency Management, told CBS News the deaths occurred in Bollinger County, about 50 miles south of St. Louis.

The tornado moved through the rural area between 3:30 and 4 a.m., said Sgt. Clark Parrott of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. “The damage is pretty widespread. It’s just heartbreaking to see it”, - he said.

Parrott said a search and rescue operation is underway that involves multiple agencies. Crews are having to use chainsaws to cut back trees and brush to reach homes. Drone footage showed emergency crews peering into the wreckage with flashlights.

The highway patrol posted an aerial photo of the damage that showed uprooted trees and homes that had been reduced to rubble.