ASKEWVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A tornado-spewing storm system that killed at least two dozen people across half the country unleashed its worst fury on North Carolina, where homes broke apart, trees snapped, and livestock were swept into the air.

Residents in the capital city and rural hamlets alike on Sunday mourned the dead, marveled at their own survival, and began to clean up devastated neighborhoods.

Observers reported more than 60 tornadoes across North Carolina on Saturday, but most of the state's 21 confirmed deaths occurred in two rural counties. A thunderstorm spawned a tornado that killed four people in southeastern Bladen County, then kept dropping tornadoes as it hopscotched more than 150 miles, eventually moving into Bertie County and killing 11 more.

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