At least 7 dead as storms sweep across Arkansas
Last Updated: Friday, May 2, 2008 | 10:37 PM ET
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Storms that swept across Arkansas Friday killed at least seven people, including a teenager struck by a tree while sleeping in her bed.
As many as 25 tornadoes may have cut through stretches of Oklahoma, Arkansas, eastern Kansas and western Missouri late Thursday and Friday, said Greg Carbin, a meteorologist for the national Storm Prediction Center.
Police say a 15-year-old girl died when a tree fell on her family's mobile home in Siloam Springs, a city in the state's northwest. She and her brother were sleeping in a bunk bed, but the 10-year-old boy, who was in the lower bed, survived with minor injuries.
Van Buren County Sheriff Scott Bradley said a man, woman and preschool-age child died when the storm hit their house. "There wasn't anything left," he said.
Another child who lived at the home in Van Buren County, north of Little Rock, had already left for school and escaped injury.
The storm is also being blamed for the deaths of a father and son who lived in a mobile home in Conway County in central Arkansas.
The seventh death was reported in Pulaski County, south of Little Rock. Details were not immediately available.
"It sounded like all hell was breaking loose," said Randy Payne, 38, who hid in a hallway at his aunt and uncle's house in Damascus.
About 350 homes were damaged or destroyed in several Arkansas counties.
In the Kansas City, Mo., area, officials said several people were injured, none seriously. About 40,000 lost power at the peak of the storm, which brought winds of up to 128 km/h.
Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser said 100 homes suffered significant damage in the city, while more damage was reported in the suburbs. Some houses had chunks of their roofs missing, while trees were uprooted.
Officials in Texas say a tornado tore down power lines and injured two people in overturned vehicles. The extent of their injuries were not known.
Witnesses spotted two tornados in Oklahoma, but no damage has been reported.
The severe thunderstorms were moving into Kentucky late Friday and could affect the race track for Saturday's Kentucky Derby.
With files from the Associated PressShare Tools
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