Tornadoes that sliced through US Midwest killed two people, injured 11 others and damaged numerous buildings.

A massive tornado in the state of Illinois did the most damage, killing two people Thursday, The Weather Channel reported.

The supercell tornado that struck the town of Fairdale brought gale force winds that ripped houses from their foundations, overturned cars and obliterated a large part of the town.

Bad weather across the Midwest prompted a slew of tornado warnings that the National Weather Service called a "severe threat."

Iowa and Ohio also had tornado sightings, and numerous other states were hammered by heavy winds.

US Marines plan force in Honduras for hurricane season
Washington (AFP) April 10, 2015 - The United States wants to deploy a force of about 250 Marines to Honduras to provide humanitarian help during the region's hurricane season, officials said Friday.

Honduran officials are weighing the proposed task force, which would operate out of Palmerola air base from June to November.

The contingent also would assist Central American forces on efforts to counter narcotics trafficking.

"We have requested that the Marines be present in Honduras from June through November 2015, during hurricane season, to support Honduras and other countries in the region in the event of a hurricane or other major disaster," the US embassy in Tegucigalpa said in a statement.

Pentagon officials insisted the proposal would not involve the permanent deployment of US troops, a sensitive political issue in a region where American forces historically sided with authoritarian regimes.

"It's only on a temporary basis," said Captain Armando Daviu, public affairs officer for US Marine Forces South. "It's set up to be a quick response emergency force."

The special purpose Marine air-ground task force would be equipped with four CH-53 cargo helicopters and possibly a C-130 aircraft, he told AFP.

"They will provide a unique and custom-made air and ground logistics support," he added.

The task force would also contribute troops to "security cooperation" teams already stationed in the area, which train and advise local forces battling organized crime and narcotics smuggling.

Those small training teams -- made up of about four to five Marines -- are deployed in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize.

The Palmerola air base, currently home to about 500 American troops, was once a major staging area in the 1980s for US military support to Contra rebels fighting the Nicaraguan government.