A car sits where a house once was after a deadly tornado swept through southwest Missouri near Seneca, 10 May 2008

Officials in the south-central U.S. states of Missouri and Oklahoma say a tornado that moved across the region Saturday has killed at least 18 people.

In southwestern Missouri the storm killed at least 12 people. Ten of the dead were from Newton County, an area close to the Oklahoma border.

In Oklahoma, all six fatalities were reported in the town of Picher, in the northeastern part of the state. Emergency management officials say the tornado virtually destroyed a large section of the town.

Hospital authorities say up to 90 people have been treated for injuries in Missouri and up to 50 in Oklahoma. Emergency responders are searching damaged homes for more victims of the storm.

Some information for this report was provided by and Reuters.