Death Toll from Deadly Tornadoes in US Rises to 18

The death toll following a major storm system that struck the South and the Midwest on Friday rose to 18 people on Saturday with dozens of other injuries reported. 

Dozens of tornadoes have reportedly struck Arkansas, Iowa, Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Mississippi, according to the National Weather Service.

The service said over 28 million people were under tornado watches on Friday, and also warned of a rare "high risk" severe storm watch in some parts of the South and Midwest.

Homes and businesses were destroyed in the wake of the catastrophic tornadoes. The roof at a concert venue in Belvidere, Illinois collapsed during the storm, killing one person and injuring at least 28 people who required hospital treatment, five of whom sustained serious injuries.

By Saturday afternoon, hundreds of thousands of US residents were still without power in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio.

According to PowerOutage.us in Ohio, more than 263,000 were left without power, as well as 238,000 in Pennsylvania, 94,000 in Tennessee, 58,000 in Kentucky, and about 55,000 in West Virginia as the storm moved northeast.