A severe weather system has swept the United States' Southeast killing at least 18 people over the weekend officials said on Sunday, January 22 night, according to The Telegraph.

Catherine Howden, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, said on Sunday evening that three deaths have been confirmed in Georgia's Dougherty County. Local officials say search and rescue operations are underway after a reported tornado caused widespread destruction in the county Sunday evening.

Before the three latest deaths were confirmed, Georgia officials had reported 12 deaths statewide. Howden said one of those was reported in error.

Four died Saturday in Mississippi.

What appeared to be a tornado blew through a mobile home park early on Sunday in southern Georgia's rural Cook County - sheering off siding, upending homes and killing seven people, local authorities said. An eighth death was reported in Cook County by state officials, although it was unclear whether that victim lived in the park.

It is not clear at this stage which death was reported in error.

Coroner Tim Purvis said the tornado "leveled" the park before dawn on Sunday and that emergency responders searched for survivors for hours after the twister struck. Purvis said the park had about 40 mobile homes, and roughly half were destroyed. The area was cordoned off by police.