Death toll rises as tornadoes sweep US

A tornado that spun across the Oklahoma-Missouri border has killed at least 18 people, injuring dozens more and damaging buildings.

At least 12 people were killed yesterday after severe storms spawned tornadoes and high winds across sections of south-western Missouri, the State Emergency Management Agency said.

Ten of the victims were killed when a twister struck near Seneca, near the Oklahoma border.

Authorities say at least six people were killed as the tornado flattened the north-eastern Oklahoma town of Picher.

The number of injuries across the area was not immediately available, though The Joplin (Mo.) Globe reported that more than 90 people from the region were being treated at hospitals.