At least 40 people have died after tornadoes ripped through a section of the US Midwest and South.

At least 12 people died in Missouri which bore the brunt of the twisters, which began to spawn on Friday, while 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, also fanned nearly 150 deadly wildfires in Oklahoma.

Fatalities were also recorded in Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi.