US tornadoes: Harrowing footage shows true extent of devastation in Mayfield, Kentucky

Harrowing footage has emerged of a Kentucky city decimated by last week's tornados - showing the true extent of damage to local communities.

The US state was battered by the tornadoes on December 10 which have left dozens dead and thousands homeless.

Video taken in Mayfield, Graves County shows the devastation left behind after mother nature ripped through the city.

All that remains of family homes and businesses is piles of rubble, and rows upon rows of destroyed buildings can be seen for miles.

Footage from inside a badly hit office block shows what used to be a thriving workplace completely torn apart.

Cameraman John Rikel, 55, from Paducah, Kentucky, said: "Luckily it missed our offices by about half a mile.

"Our workplace is completely without electricity but there is no damage.

"Me and my co-workers went out to help local residents as best we can and that's when the extent of the destruction really started to sink in.

"At the moment any memory of what used to be here has been destroyed - it is going to be a long road to recovery for the people of this city.

"All we can do is offer our services and help get the community back up and running as quickly as we can."

President Joe Biden has since declared the incident as a major federal disaster.

The video footage was filmed on December 11.