WATCH: Missouri tornado moves through lightning; storms kill 3

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Violent storms and tornadoes slammed Missouri late Wednesday, leaving three people dead and pummeling the state's capital, officials said.

According to The Associated Press, a "large and destructive tornado" hit Jefferson City before midnight, National Weather Service officials said. The twister caused several injuries, trapped residents, destroyed homes and buildings, and knocked out power to nearly 13,000 people, KOMU-TV reported.

No deaths have been reported in connection with the Jefferson City tornado, police said in a news conference early Thursday.

The news came after officials said three people were killed when a "suspected tornado" struck Golden City, NBC News reported.

>> See the tweet here

Tornado damage also was reported in Carl Junction, where several people were hurt, according to NBC News. One social media user shared a dramatic video of the twister sweeping through the area.

>> Watch the video here

Looking SE from Central CJ @ 8:13 pm

Posted by Chris Higgins on Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Earlier this week, storms were blamed for three more deaths – including two in Missouri and one in Iowa – and a possible fourth in Oklahoma, the AP reported.

Read more here.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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