Death toll rises after US tornado

At least 26 people have now been killed by a tornado in the US. The deaths have come in Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee.

At least 26 people have now been killed by a tornado in the US. The deaths have come in Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee.

Houses across the largely rural region were knocked off their foundations in Sunday's storms and trees were uprooted.

The tornadoes were part of a large storm system that hit the midwest, spawning twisters in the states of South Dakota and Nebraska.

Twelve people in Missouri and seven each in Kansas and Tennessee were killed.

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At Kansas City International Airport in Missouri, officials stopped all flights and evacuated the terminals.

Passengers were ushered into underground tunnels leading to parking garages. The airport was later reopened.

In Tennessee, a state of emergency was declared in Madison County, including the city of Jackson, after a tornado damaged the city's law enforcement complex and tore the roof off the National Guard armoury.

A spokesman for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, said at least seven deaths in the county had been confirmed.

AP