AT least 16 people have been killed and many injured as devastating storms spawning tornadoes tear through the mid-west.

Officials from Laurel County, Kentucky, confirmed that a tornado “pummeled” the region late on Friday night “causing mass casualties”.

At least nine individuals lost their lives, and many more were injured when a tornado struck the Ohio Valley. Rescue teams are still searching through the wreckage of homes and businesses, looking for survivors.

“There have been multiple confirmed fatalities after a tornado severely impacted Laurel County late Friday night,” stated the Laurel County Fiscal Court in a Facebook post.

“Destroyed homes and buildings are still being searched by emergency responders.”

The areas around Somerset and London suffered the most extensive damage. According to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, the tornado hit just before midnight on Friday.

The twister ripped through two neighborhoods and the London Corbin Airport leaving “mass casualties in its path” with at least nine people dead and “numerous [with] severe injuries”, it reported.

Meanwhile officials in St. Louis, Missouri reported that at least seven people had died as the string of storms continue to rip through the Midwest.

In total, major tornadoes have been reported in Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana while thousands have been left without power.

Severe thunderstorm warnings have been issued for parts of Alabama until the early hours of Saturday morning as officials brace for further devastation.