A violent, tornado-spawning storm system tore across the central US, leaving at least 16 people dead in Missouri and southeastern Kentucky as it cut a path of destruction across several states.

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.

The storms were part of a severe weather system that spawned tornadoes in Wisconsin, downed trees, left thousands without power in the Great Lakes region