Missouri in ruins: Tornado leaves trail of death and destruction in St Louis​

At least five people lost their lives, and many others were left trapped or injured following a severe storm and tornado that struck St. Louis, Missouri, yesterday. (Pic credit: AP)

Officials reported that the destructive storm caused roofs to be ripped off buildings, windows to be shattered, bricks to be torn from siding, and trees and power lines to be uprooted.(Pic credit: AP)

St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer stated that over 5,000 homes were impacted and approximately 100,000 customers were without electricity as of Friday night. (Pic credit: AP)

"Spencer describes it as , “This situation is incredibly devastating," adding that the city was working on declaring a state of emergency and implementing an overnight curfew in the most heavily damaged areas.(Pic credit: AP)

National Weather Service radar showed that a tornado touched down between 2:30 p.m. and 2:50 p.m. in Clayton, Missouri, within the St. Louis region. The tornado appeared to have struck near Forest Park, home to the St. Louis Zoo and the location of the 1904 World's Fair and Olympic Games.(Pic credit: AP)

The exact number of injuries has not yet been determined. Barnes-Jewish Hospital treated 20 to 30 storm-related patients, some in serious condition, with most expected to be released by Friday night, according to a hospital spokesperson.(Pic credit: AP)

Fallen trees and traffic lights also resulted in significant traffic congestion, causing problems for commuters.(Pic credit: AP)

These storms were part of a larger severe weather system that produced tornadoes in Wisconsin, knocked down trees, left thousands without power in the Great Lakes region, and brought an intense heat wave to Texas.(Pic credit: AP)