US tornadoes: At least 11 killed by powerful storms across Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma

At least 11 people have been killed after powerful storms in central US states which wreaked havoc across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Seven deaths were reported in Cooke County, Texas, near the Oklahoma border, where a tornado Saturday night ploughed through a rural area near a mobile home park, officials said.

Storms also caused damage in Oklahoma, where guests at an outdoor wedding were injured. Tens of thousands of residents were without power across the region.

“It's just a trail of debris left. The devastation is pretty severe," Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington said.

The dead included two children, ages 2 and 5, the sheriff said.

Three family members in Texas were found dead in one home near the small community of Valley View, Sheriff Sappington said.

Hugo Parra, who lives in Farmers Branch, north of Dallas, said he rode out the storm with about 40 to 50 people in the bathroom of a gas station.

“A firefighter came to check on us and he said, 'You're very lucky,"' Mr Parra told the Associated Press. “The best way to describe this is the wind tried to rip us out of the bathrooms."

Multiple people were transported to hospitals by ambulance and helicopter in Denton County, Texas, also north of Dallas. But officials did not immediately know the full extent of the injuries.

At least two people were reported killed in Arkansas, including a 26-year-old woman who was found dead outside a destroyed home in Olvey, a small community in Boone County, according to Daniel Bolen, with the county's emergency management office.

The destruction continued a grim month of deadly severe weather in the US’ midsection.

Tornadoes in Iowa this week left at least five people dead and dozens injured.

The deadly twisters have spawned during a historically bad season for tornadoes, at a time when climate change contributes to the severity of storms around the world.

April had the second-highest number of tornadoes on record in the country.