Storms rolled across Arkansas, killing at least three people including a teenager crushed by a tree while she slept in her bed, officials said Friday. Earlier, storms late Thursday and early Friday seriously damaged homes and businesses in the Kansas City, Mo., area, and tornadoes were also reported in Oklahoma and Texas, although there were no immediate reports of severe damage. In northwest Arkansas, a 15-year-old girl was killed early Friday when a tree fell on her home in Siloam Springs, police said. A 10-year-old boy in the home was taken to a hospital. Police said he was not seriously injured.
In central Arkansas, a state emergency official confirmed that two people died in Conway County. Emergency spokesman Tommy Jackson had no further details.
The National Weather Service (web|news) issued tornado warnings for several counties in central and north Arkansas, while a spotter reported a tornado down just after 8:30 a.m. near Damascus.
Jackson said there also was confirmed damage and an unknown number of injuries around Bee Branch in Van Buren County, just north of Damascus.
No serious injuries were reported around Kansas City, but about 40,000 lost power at the peak of the storm Thursday. Fire officials say several people were injured, but none seriously. Authorities said Friday the worst damage was in the city’s northern and eastern suburbs.
At least two tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma late Thursday, including one near Ralston, though no injuries or significant damage was reported there.
In Canton, Texas, local officials said an apparent tornado Friday ripped down power lines and injured two people in overturned vehicles. Details on their condition were not immediately available.
