Missouri tornado leaves trail of destruction and at least four people dead

A woman walks near an uprooted tree and debris from homes damaged by a tornado (Julio Cortez/AP)

A tornado that swept through south-eastern Missouri before dawn on Wednesday killed at least four people and injured an unknown number of others, authorities said.

Sgt Clark Parrott, of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, said the death toll from the early-morning storm might rise as crews sift through the rubble of damaged and destroyed homes in Bollinger County, about 50 miles south of St Louis.

In addition to the deaths, an unknown number of people were injured by the storm, which is part of a larger system that could spawn further twisters and hail as it moves through the Midwest and South on Wednesday.