At least 40 people have died after tornadoes ripped through a swathe of the US Midwest and South. Missouri bore the brunt of the twisters, which began to spawn on Friday. At least 12 people have died in that state. Powerful winds in Texas and Kansas whipped up dust storms that resulted in vehicle pile-ups and a dozen deaths. The extreme weather, covering an area of the country that is home to more than 100 million people, fanned nearly 150 deadly wildfires in Oklahoma. Fatalities were also recorded in Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi. Parts of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky and North Carolina were under flood advisories. More than 320,000 people across the region were without power on Sunday evening, according to tracker PowerOutageUS. States of emergency have been declared in Arkansas, Georgia and Oklahoma. In Missouri, Governor Mike Kehoe said "the scale of devastation across our state is staggering". "Hundreds of homes, schools, and businesses have been either destroyed or severely damaged," his statement added. A tornado killed the occupant of one residence in Butler County in the Midwestern state, leaving it "unrecognisable as a home", according to local coroner Jim Akers. "Just a debris field," he added. "The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls." In Oklahoma, nearly 150 wildfires driven by winds that hit 83mph (133km/h) toppled several articulated lorries. The state's chief medical examiner said at least four people had died there as a result of fires or high winds. The blazes burnt 170,000 acres and destroyed nearly 300 structures, including a farmhouse owned by the state's Governor Kevin Stitt. In Kansas, at least eight people died after more than 55 vehicles crashed due to a dust storm. In Texas, another dust storm caused a pile-up of about 38 cars, leaving at least four people dead. Six people died in Mississippi as tornadoes swept through that state and twisters killed another three in Alabama, including an 82-year-old woman. In Arkansas, officials reported three deaths and 29 people injured. US President Donald Trump said the National Guard had been deployed to Arkansas to help with the storm response. "Please join Melania and me in praying for everyone impacted by these terrible storms!" he posted on his Truth social platform. — BBC
