The storms are part of a severe weather system sweeping across the Midwest, leaving thousands without power.

At least 21 people have died after tornadoes caused by severe storms swept through the states of Missouri and Kentucky in the United States, officials said.

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear on Saturday said on X that at least 14 people died in the Friday night’s storms.

At least seven others were killed in Missouri as authorities launched a search for people trapped in buildings.

Kentucky authorities said there were severe injuries when a tornado tore across Laurel County late on Friday. “The search is continuing in the damaged area for survivors,” the office of Sheriff John Root said in a statement posted on social media.

In Missouri, St Louis Mayor Cara Spencer confirmed five deaths in her city and said more than 5,000 homes were affected.

“Our city is in mourning tonight,” she told reporters. “The loss of life and destruction is truly, truly horrific.”

Another tornado struck Scott County, about 209km (130 miles) south of St Louis, killing two people, injuring several others and destroying multiple homes, Sheriff Derick Wheetley wrote on social media on Friday.

“Our first responders acted swiftly, even while the tornado was still active, putting themselves in harm’s way to provide immediate assistance and care to those injured,” he said.

The storms, which began on Friday, are part of a severe weather system that has also spawned tornadoes in Wisconsin, leaving thousands of people without power in the Great Lakes region and bringing a punishing heatwave to Texas.

A dust storm warning was issued around the Chicago area on Friday night. The weather service said a wall of dust extended along a 161km (100-mile) line from southwest of Chicago to northern Indiana that severely reduced visibility.

In Texas, a heat advisory was issued for San Antonio and Austin cities, with temperatures at a blistering 95F (35C) to 105F (40.5C). Parts of the southern East Coast, from Virginia to Florida, also battled with heat in the 90s (32-37C).

The National Weather Service Office for Austin and San Antonio said humidity over the weekend was expected to make temperatures feel hotter.

“There are concerns of heat exhaustion for people that aren’t taking proper precautions when they’re outdoors,” meteorologist Jason Runyen said, advising those affected to take breaks and stay hydrated.

A bronze statue of Melania Trump was sawed off at the ankles and stolen this week in the first lady’s native Slovenia, police said. 

The statue replaced a wooden one that was erected near her hometown of Sevnica in 2020 at the end of President Donald Trump’s first term after it was targeted in an arson attack. 

Both statues were a collaboration between Brad Downey, an artist from Kentucky, and a local craftsman, Ales “Maxi” Zupevc. 

The original figure, made of wood and cut from the trunk of a linden tree, portrayed the first lady in a pale blue dress, similar to the one she wore at Trump’s 2016 inauguration.

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The new statue was placed on the same stump as the old one and modeled after the previous design. In July 2020, Downey said the statue would be made “as solid as possible, out of a durable material which cannot be wantonly destroyed,” according to The Guardian.

Slovenian police spokesperson Alenka Drenik Rangus said Friday that police were investigating after the vandalism and theft were reported Tuesday. 

Franja Kranjc, a worker at a bakery that sells cakes with the first lady’s name in support of her, told The Associated Press the rustic likeness wasn’t well liked. 

Only the ankles remain of a Melania Trump statue that was sawed off and stolen, Slovenian police said.  (AP Photo/Relja Dusek)

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“I think no one was really proud at this statue, not even the first lady of the USA,” Kranjc said. “So, I think it’s OK that it’s removed.”

Zupevc said he and Melania Trump were born in the same hospital, which partly inspired him to create the design. He carved the statue with a chainsaw and sanded it with a power tool. 

The statue was a rustic likeness of the first lady.  (Getty Images)

“I plugged in my angle grinder. … I worked and made mistakes … finished the hair … the eyes and all. Then, I called my brother, who said, ‘Spitting image of our waitress.’ And so it was,” Zupevc said during a documentary film by Downey on the making of the original statue.

A plaque next to the statue says it is “dedicated to the eternal memory of a monument to Melania which stood at this location.”

Born Melanija Knavs in nearby Novo Mesto in 1970, the first lady grew up in Sevnica while Slovenia was part of the Communist-ruled former Yugoslavia. An Alpine nation of 2 million people, Slovenia is now a member of the European Union and NATO.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.