At least eight people died in the United States due to violent storms and tornadoes that They hit the states of Arkansas, Indiana and Illinois on Friday, and are now moving towards the northeast of the country.
(Read also: Shocking images of a tornado that hit Arkansas, United States)
In Arkansas, a devastating tornado left at least four people dead and some 30 injured, the risk management service for this rural state in the American South told AFP.
The governor declared a general state of emergency and mobilized the National Guard. Sanders reported that two people died in the eastern Arkansas city of Wynne, while a Pulaski County official, near the capital, Little Rock, another death established there.
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said «about 30 people were transported to our local hospitals.» More than 78,000 people lost power in Arkansas, according to the website Poweroutage.us. Lara Farrar, a journalist for a local business publication, told AFP by phone that she was «totally shocked» by the destruction near her home in Little Rock, a city of 200,000.
«Some of the buildings have their roofs completely blown off,» he said, sharing images of houses destroyed, with walls partially torn down and trees down.
damaging storms
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a tornado watch for the nearby states of Tennessee, Illinois and Iowa.
Precisely, in the state of Illinois (central-eastern United States) the various storms also left sequels and various damages. myn the night, disaster struck the town of Belvidere, Illinois, when a powerful storm caused the collapse of the roof and part of the facade of the Apollo Theater, in the middle of a concert by a heavy metal band.
«More than 20 ambulances were reportedly called to the scene,» Fox 32 reported. Belvidere Fire Chief Shawn Schadle conceded one person was killed and 28 injured in the disaster, including five with serious injuries.
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In the neighboring state of Indiana, two people were confirmed dead after a storm swept through Sullivan County, state police told CBS/FOX affiliate WTHI.
Images posted on Twitter by WTHI showed downed telephone poles, collapsed houses and rubble littering roads. Tornadoes, a meteorological phenomenon as impressive as it is difficult to predict, are common in the United States, especially in the center and south of the country.
A week ago, a tornado ripped through Mississippi, killing 25 people and causing extensive property damage. President Joe Biden visited the site on Friday. In December 2021, about 80 people were killed by tornadoes in Kentucky.
AFP
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