Tornadoes Kills Dozens in Three Different States

28 Apr, 2014

Workers searched for survivors on Monday in the rubble left by a wave of tornadoes that ripped through the south-central United States a day earlier, killing at least 18 people in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Iowa.

Arkansas was the hardest hit, with at least 16 people dead. Neighborhoods were torn apart in central Faulkner County, where at least 10 people died in the storm system that produced that first fatalities of this year’s U.S. tornado season, authorities said.

“It was a devastating tornado,” Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe told a news conference, saying the main focus was on finding and rescuing victims.

The White House said President Barack Obama, who has been on a trip abroad, called Beebe to receive an update on the damage and to offer his condolences.

Strong winds wrenched houses off their foundations and flipped cars on top of the rubble in the small town of Vilonia in Faulkner County. Nine of the victims in the county lived on the same street in Vilonia, where at least 60 homes were destroyed, local broadcaster KARK TV reported.

Medical officials reported at least 100 people in Arkansas were injured.

The Arkansas National Guard was deployed to help. Beebe declared a state of disaster for Faulkner and two other counties.

One person was killed in neighboring Oklahoma and another in Iowa, state authorities said. More than 10,000 people were without power in Arkansas on Monday, officials said.

Weather officials said more storms were on their way to the areas hit by the tornadoes.

Reuters

Image Danny Johnston/AP

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