New Delhi  - The death toll in the tornado that caused devastation in villages across India's eastern coastal state of Orissa rose to 12 on Wednesday, police said.

More than 100 people sustained injuries in the storm that struck 11 villages in the Kendrapara region some 80 kilometres north-east of state capital Bhubaneshwar on Tuesday night.

"Two villagers succumbed to their injuries overnight and two more bodies were found on Wednesday morning taking the toll to 12," Kendrapara Superintendent of Police Kumarmani Meher said over telephone.

The police said the toll may rise further as two villagers were in a serious condition at hospital.

Meanwhile, local village councils said more people could be trapped under the debris of their homes and at least 20 people were suspected to have perished.

The tornado that raged for almost almost one and a half hours wrought havoc in the region. It damaged about 300 houses, uprooted electric poles and trees and snapped telephone and power lines.

The twister tossed several vehicles around like toys, the IANS news agency reported. In one of the villages, a tractor crashed to the ground after being lifted into the air by the storm. Its driver was killed on the spot.

The tornado was followed by a heavy hail storm and rain in the area. The state administration dispatched rescue and relief teams but the rescuers were not able to reach the affected areas for several horus because uprooted trees had blocked roads. dpa