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US tornadoes: Death toll grows as extreme storms ravage several states US tornadoes: Death toll grows as extreme storms ravage several states
(about 1 hour later)
Watch: Drone footage shows scale of US tornado wreckageWatch: Drone footage shows scale of US tornado wreckage
Watch: Drone footage shows scale of US tornado wreckageWatch: Drone footage shows scale of US tornado wreckage
At least 21 people have been killed after a series of tornadoes tore through parts of the United States' South and Midwest. At least 26 people have been killed after a series of tornadoes tore through towns and cities in the United States' South and Midwest.
Homes were destroyed and thousands left without power after tornadoes caused devastation across several states. Homes were destroyed and thousands left without power after storms caused devastation across several states.
Arkansas saw vehicles overturned, trees toppled and power lines torn down. According to Washington Post, more than 60 tornado reports have been recorded.
Five people were reported dead there - as well as seven in Tennessee, four in Illinois and three in Indiana. Alabama and Mississippi also had fatalities. States including Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Alabama and Mississippi have all had fatalities as a result of the weather.
One resident of the Arkansas state capital Little Rock - the scene of a major tornado - told the Washington Post he had been left feeling "utter disbelief". One storm shredded through the Arkansas town of Wynne - a community some 100 miles (170km) east of the state capital, Little Rock.
"I've lived in this community since 1985. I know the whole county pretty well. Not to be able to recognise landmarks just has me in shock... I saw a storage building laying three miles down the road from where it was supposed to be," he said. Wynne, Arkansas saw several deaths from Friday's tornado outbreak
One person died in Little Rock, alongside four others in the small town of Wynne. Ashley Macmillan said she, her husband and their children huddled with their dogs in a small bathroom as a tornado passed, "praying and saying goodbye to each other, because we thought we were dead".
"I'm sad that my town has been hit so hard," Heidi Jenkins, a salon owner in Wynne, told AP news agency. "Our school is gone, my church is gone. I'm sad for all the people who lost their homes." A falling tree seriously damaged their home, but they were unhurt.
She told the AP news agency: "We could feel the house shaking, we could hear loud noises, dishes rattling. And then it just got calm."
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency in the state of Arkansas on Friday, with the national guard activated to help with recovery efforts.Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency in the state of Arkansas on Friday, with the national guard activated to help with recovery efforts.
Wynne's high school suffered heavy damage from the tornado
She said she had spoken to President Joe Biden about the situation, who promised federal aid.She said she had spoken to President Joe Biden about the situation, who promised federal aid.
Warnings of extreme weather, including the possibility of severe thunderstorms and strong winds, were set to stay in place for Saturday across the eastern third of the country, the National Weather Service said. Strong winds and hail were also forecast. As storms continue to work their way east, hundreds of thousands of people are without power across several states.
A total of over 60 tornadoes were reported across a number of states on Friday and Saturday by the US government's Storm Prediction Center. Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania are the worst affected, according to the US PowerOutage website.
Over 590,000 people are without power across several states in the country, with Ohio and Pennsylvania being the worst affected, according to the US PowerOutage website. Friday's storms also led to the collapse of a theatre roof at a packed heavy metal gig in Belvidere, Illinois state, leading to one death and 28 injuries.
Tennessee - where over 105,000 are without power - experienced the most lethal storm, with seven deaths in the county of McNairy, near the border with Mississippi, officials said on Saturday. The deadly tornadoes come a week after a rare, long-track twister killed 26 people in Mississippi.
"The damage and loss that our community suffered last night was catastrophic," Adamsville city police department wrote in a statement on Facebook. Investigators look over the Apollo Theater following a tornado in Belvidere, Illinois
Friday's storm also led to the collapse of a theatre roof at a packed heavy metal gig in Belvidere, Illinois state, leading to one death and 28 people getting injured. President Biden visited the state on Friday to pay his condolences.
On Saturday, officials announced three more deaths in Illinois's Crawford county.
The deadly tornadoes come a week after a rare, long-track twister killed 26 people in Mississippi. President Biden visited the state on Friday to pay his condolences.
In a bulletin, the Storm Prediction Center warned some of the projected tornadoes could track across the ground for long distances.In a bulletin, the Storm Prediction Center warned some of the projected tornadoes could track across the ground for long distances.
The Mississippi tornado last week travelled 59 miles (94km) and lasted about an hour and 10 minutes - an unusually long period of time for a storm to sustain itself. It damaged about 2,000 homes, officials said.The Mississippi tornado last week travelled 59 miles (94km) and lasted about an hour and 10 minutes - an unusually long period of time for a storm to sustain itself. It damaged about 2,000 homes, officials said.
Watch people sifting through the debris at the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, Illinois
Watch people sifting through the debris at the Apollo Theater in Belvidere, Illinois
Related TopicsRelated Topics
TornadoesTornadoes
IndianaIndiana
ArkansasArkansas
MississippiMississippi
AlabamaAlabama
TennesseeTennessee
United StatesUnited States
Severe weatherSevere weather
IllinoisIllinois