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 people were killed and dozens injured in the twister that hit Ohio Valley with rescue crews continuing to search through the flattened homes and businesses for survivors.

“Multiple fatalities have been confirmed as a result of a tornado that pummeled Laurel County late Friday evening,” Laurel County Fiscal Court said in a Facebook post.

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

The regions of Somerset and London were hit with the most significant damage as the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the tornado his 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.