NBC, msnbc.com and news services reports:

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Search and rescue efforts continued and some 40,000 utility customers in Massachusetts were still without power on Thursday after tornadoes ripped through communities.

One piece of good news Thursday was that the death toll, initially reported at four, was lowered to three.

Two people were killed in West Springfield and another in Brimfield, authorities said. A Springfield death previously blamed on storms may have been an unrelated heart attack, Gov. Deval Patrick said.

Residents of Springfield, the state's third largest city, as well as 17 smaller communities were dealing with widespread damage. Continue reading.