US: At Least 7 Killed, Several Hospitalised After Tornadoes Tears Through Midwest And South

Tornadoes ripped through parts of the South and Midwest, killing at least seven people, destroying homes and shopping malls, and collapsing a theatre roof during a heavy metal concert in Illinois.

Storms and tornadoes ripped through the US states of Arkansas and Illinois on Friday and early Saturday, killing at least seven people, injuring dozens more, trapping others in their homes, and damaging businesses and critical infrastructure, according to The New York Times (NYT).

In Arkansas, the governor declared a state of emergency Friday afternoon after officials said a tornado killed one person in North Little Rock and two in Wynne. In response to the severe weather, Missouri declared a state of emergency.

Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. stated that at least 30 people were hospitalised and that over 2,000 homes were damaged. According to local police, the storm caused extensive damage to businesses and apartment complexes. 

According to the fire chief, Shawn Schadle, a person was killed and 28 others were hospitalised after the roof collapsed at a theatre in Belvidere with 260 people inside on Friday night in northern Illinois.

Three people were killed after a tornado struck Sullivan Country, Indiana, about 150 miles east of Sherman, according to Indiana State Police Sgt. Matt Ames.

Tornadoes were reported to the National Weather Service in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Mississippi, in addition to Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, and Tennessee.

Tornado warnings remained in effect for parts of Alabama and Georgia as the storm system moved eastward early Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

According to the tracking website PowerOutage.us, more than 450,000 homes and businesses were without power early Saturday across Indiana, Illinois, Arkansas, and Tennessee, with Indiana accounting for roughly one-third of the outages.

The severe storms on Friday came just a week after severe weather devastated the Southeast, killing at least 26 people.

An overnight tornado, with estimated maximum winds of 170 mph, levelled much of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, causing extensive damage.

President Biden paid a visit to Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on Friday, the community hardest hit by the tornadoes last week. Tornadoes in Rolling Fork and surrounding Sharkey County killed 13 people and destroyed homes and businesses.