At least five people have died and more than 5,000 buildings were damaged after a tornado tore through St Louis in Missouri. The tornado swept along a major road, tearing roofs off houses, uprooting trees and knocking down power lines on Friday evening.

In Missouri and Kentucky alone, tornadoes killed at least 25 people, officials said. The spring storm season has been a brutal one for the region.

Aerial images showed scenes of destruction in Laurel County, Kentucky, with entire blocks of houses reduced to splinters, and cars and pickup trucks left battered or crushed in a tornado's wake.

A violent, tornado-spawning storm system tore across the central US, leaving at least 25 people dead in Missouri and southeastern Kentucky as it cut a path of destruction through several states.

At least 21 people have been killed after a series of powerful tornadoes tore through multiple states on Friday. In Kentucky, at least 14 people were killed by severe weather, and the death toll is likely to rise,

At least nine people were killed after a tornado hit southeastern Kentucky, while another seven died in Missouri.

Tornadoes, hail and storms swept through the central U.S. on May 16, causing deaths and widespread damage to buildings.

At least five people died and others were hurt after severe weather including a possible tornado swept through St. Louis, the mayor said.