A series of fierce tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in the South and Midwest on Friday and overnight, killing at least 26 people and injuring scores, according to media reports.

Confirmed or suspected tornadoes in at least eight states have destroyed homes and businesses, splintered trees and laid waste to neighborhoods across a broad swath of the country. 

The dead included at least nine in one Tennessee county, four in the small town of Wynne, Arkansas, three in Sullivan, Indiana and four in Illinois.

Other deaths from the storms were reported in Alabama and Mississippi, along with one near Little Rock, Arkansas, where city officials said more than 2,600 buildings were in a tornado's path.

U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Huckabee Sanders, governor of Arkansas, and the mayors of Little Rock and Wynne, the White House said in a statement. He also spoke with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell.

Huckabee Sanders said Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, in phone calls on Saturday, offered federal government support.

(With input from agencies)