A car sits where a house once was after a deadly tornado swept through southwest Missouri near Seneca, 10 May 2008

Officials in the central and southern United States say a severe weather system moving across the region spawned numerous tornadoes that killed at least 21 people in three states.

In Oklahoma, six fatalities were reported in the town of Picher in the northeastern part of the state. Emergency management officials said the Saturday evening tornado destroyed a large section of the town.

Oklahoma state Governor Brad Henry declared a state of emergency, enabling National Guard troops to help with rescue and recovery efforts.

In southwestern Missouri, the storm killed at least 14 people. Ten of the dead were from Newton County, an area close to the Oklahoma border.

The line of storms moved eastward early Sunday. Six tornadoes were confirmed in Georgia. One person was killed in Dublin, southeast of Atlanta.

U.S. President George Bush expressed concern for the victims of the storms and said he would be in touch with the governors of the affected states.

Hospital authorities say up to 90 people have been treated for injuries in Missouri and up to 50 in Oklahoma. Emergency responders are searching damaged homes for more victims of the storm.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.