A deadly tornado outbreak ripped through Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and Mississippi overnight Friday, leaving destruction, power outages and tragic loss in its wake.

The meteorological agency said: "If you live in these areas, get to the sturdiest structure you have access to and remain in place until the storms pass." Mike Kehoe, governor of Missouri - where the 11 deaths were reported across four south-easterly counties - said the state had been "devastated by severe storms and tornadoes,

At least 12 people have died across the state following storms that moved through Missouri on Friday, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The death toll was updated after a victim in Ozark County passed away early Saturday morning: Nearly 20 tornadoes of varying strengths were reported in Missouri on Friday, impacting 25 counties.