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Storm systems sweeping across the midwestern US have left at least 16 dead, including nine people killed after a tornado sparked what authorities called a mass casualty event in south-eastern Kentucky.
Kentucky authorities said there were also severe injuries when a twister tore across Laurel county late on Friday.
“The search is continuing in the damaged area for survivors,” the office of sheriff John Root said in a statement posted on social media.
Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said rescuers have “been on the ground all night looking for possible survivors. That’s what we’re continuing to do.”
Kentucky’s governor, Andy Beshear, said his office would release more information as soon as it becomes available.
“We know this is a tragic event,” he said in a statement.
In Laurel county, the tornado hit shortly before midnight.
“Lives have been changed forever here tonight. This is a time we come together, and we pray for this community,” Randall Weddle, the mayor of London, Kentucky, told WKYT-TV. “I have never personally witnessed what I‘ve witnessed here tonight. There’s a lot of devastation.”
The storms were part of a weather system on Friday that killed seven in Missouri and also spawned tornadoes in Wisconsin, left several hundred thousand customers without power in the Great Lakes region and brought a punishing heatwave to Texas.
The mayor of St Louis, Missouri, Cara Spencer, confirmed five deaths in her city and said more than 5,000 homes were affected.
“This is truly, truly devastating,” she said, adding that the city was in the process of declaring an emergency and an overnight curfew on Friday had been put into place in the neighborhoods with the most damage.
The number of people injured was not immediately known. The Barnes-Jewish hospital received 20 to 30 patients from the storm with some in serious condition and most expected to be discharged by Friday night, according to hospital spokesperson Laura High.
The St Louis children’s hospital received 15 patients with two of them expected to remain in the hospital into the weekend, she said.
National Weather Service (NWS) radar indicated a tornado touched down between 2.30pm and 2.50pm in Clayton, Missouri, in the St Louis area. The apparent tornado touched down in the area of Forest Park, home to the St Louis zoo and the site of the 1904 World’s Fair and Olympic Games the same year.
At the Centennial Christian church, St Louis fire department battalion chief William Pollihan told the Associated Press that three people had to be rescued after part of the church crumbled. One of those people died.
Stacy Clark said his mother-in-law Patricia Penelton died in the church. He described her as a very active church volunteer who had many roles, including being part of the choir.
Jeffrey Simmons Sr, who lives across from the church, heard an alert on his phone and then the lights went out.
“And next thing you know, a lot of noise, heavy wind,” he said. He and his brother sheltered in the basement. Later, he realized it was worse than he thought, saying, “Everything was tore up.”
Downed trees and stop lights also caused traffic gridlock during the Friday afternoon commute, and officials urged people to stay home.
John Randle, a 19-year-old University of Missouri-St Louis student, said he and his girlfriend were at the St Louis art museum during the storm and were hustled into the basement with about 150 other people.
“You could see the doors flying open, tree branches flying by and people running,” he said. “A lot of people were caught outside.”
Christy Childs, a St Louis zoo spokesperson, said in a text that the zoo would remain closed on Saturday due to downed trees and other damage. Childs said all animals were safe and that there were no reports of significant injuries to staff, guests or animals.
A tornado struck in Scott county, about 130 miles (209km) south of St Louis, killing two people, injuring several others and destroying multiple homes, sheriff Derick Wheetley wrote on social media.
