At least 21 people were killed in Kentucky and Missouri afterstorms and reported tornadoes tore through the regionas part of an extreme weather outbreak on May 16, "leaving behind a trail of destruction," authorities said. The toll includes at least 14 dead in Kentucky, according toGov. Andy Beshear, and seven in Missouri, authorities there said. "Our city is grieving tonight," St. Louis, Missouri, Mayor Cara Spencer said in a news conference on May 16 when she announced five people died in the city. The tornadoes came amid a severe weather outbreak with preliminary reports of tornadoes in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and even New Jersey. The tornado in St. Louis downed trees and ripped entire walls off of homes, photos of the destruction showed. About 130 miles away in Scott County, Missouri, the sheriff's office said two more were killed in a tornado that tore through rural areas there. "The tornado moved from the eastern part of the county, leaving behind a trail of destruction, with multiple homes completely lost and areas left unrecognizable," Sheriff Derick Wheetley said in astatement. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Tornado outbreak kills several in Kentucky, Missouri
