AT LEAST 14 people have been killed and dozens injured after violent tornadoes swept across the central United States, officials said today.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed 11 “storm-related fatalities” in a statement on X, saying that local authorities were “working tirelessly to assist those in need and assess the damage.”

The state police reported downed trees and power lines, as well as damage to residential and commercial buildings, with some areas severely impacted by “tornadoes, thunderstorms and large hail.”

Six fatalities were reported in Missouri’s Wayne County, three in Ozark County – where multiple injuries were also reported – and one each in Butler and Jefferson counties, police said.

In the neighboring state of Arkansas, officials said three people had died and 29 had been injured in the storm.

Further tornadoes were forecast Saturday in Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.