Four people have been killed by a tornado in Missouri, state police have said.
The fatalities were reported in Bollinger County, about 50 miles south of St Louis, said Sergeant Clark Parrott of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Officials said a search and rescue operation had been launched following Wednesday morning’s storm.
Sgt Parrott said it had caused “multiple injuries and multiple deaths”.
He added: “The damage is pretty widespread. It’s just heartbreaking to see it.”
The rescue operation involves multiple agencies. Crews are having to use chainsaws to cut back trees and bushes to reach homes and buildings.
Teams of rescuers have been combing through damaged and destroyed homes and businesses across southeastern Missouri.
“There is damage and some injuries. We are still in the rescue phase,” said Bollinger County Emergency Management Coordinator Kevin Cooper.
Larry Welker, Bollinger County’s public administrator, said the twister travelled into Glen Allen, a village of slightly more than 100 people.
“I’m getting reports that it was pretty bad,” he said.
“There was several trailers there, and I understand that there is still people missing.”
The tornado touched down in Missouri at about 3.30am local time, according to the National Weather Service.
Pic: Joshua Wells
Pic: Joshua Wells
It was one of more than a dozen which were spotted in the Midwest overnight, the service added.
The Storm Prediction Center said up to 40 million people in an area that includes major cities such as Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit and Memphis, Tennessee, were at risk from the storms later on Wednesday.
The twister was spawned from a storm system sweeping across the Midwest and South.
Justin Gibbs, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said the tornado remained on the ground for roughly 15 minutes, travelling an estimated 15 to 20 miles.
A weather service team was on its way to Bollinger County to gather details about the tornado.
Mr Gibbs said it was clear “it was a significant tornado”.
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He said tornadoes are especially dangerous when they touch down late at night or early in the morning.
“It’s definitely a nightmare from a warning standpoint,” he said.
“It’s bad anytime, but it’s especially bad at 3.30 in the morning.”
Pic: Joshua Wells
The storms come just days after a series of US tornados killed at least 32 people when they tore through parts of the South and Midwest, and as far east as Delaware.
Many homes and buildings were destroyed in Arkansas, Iowa and Illinois.
