Tornadoes spawned by huge system pulverize U.S. homes; 1 dead

A monster storm system tore through the U.S. South and Midwest on Friday, spawning tornadoes that shredded homes and shopping centres, overturned vehicles and uprooted trees as people raced for shelter. At least one person was reported dead and two dozen or more were hurt, some critically, in the Little Rock area.

A monster storm system tore through the U.S. South and Midwest on Friday, spawning tornadoes that shredded homes and shopping centres, overturned vehicles and uprooted trees as people raced for shelter. At least one person was reported dead and two dozen or more were hurt, some critically, in the Little Rock area.

The town of Wynne in eastern Arkansas was also devastated, and officials reported destroyed homes and people trapped in the debris as unrelenting tornadoes kept moving east into the evening. Police in Covington, Tenn., reported downed power lines and toppled trees.

There were more confirmed twisters in Iowa, damaging hail fell in Illinois and wind-whipped grass fires blazed in Oklahoma, as the storm system threatened a broad swath of the country home to some 85 million people.

The destructive weather came as U.S. President Joe Biden toured the aftermath of a deadly tornado that struck in Mississippi one week ago and promised the government would help the area recover.

The Little Rock tornado tore first through neighbourhoods in the western part of the city and shredded a small shopping centre that included a Kroger grocery store. It then crossed the Arkansas River into North Little Rock and surrounding cities, where widespread damage was reported to homes, businesses and vehicles.

In the evening, officials in Pulaski County announced a confirmed fatality in North Little Rock but did not immediately give details.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center in Little Rock was operating at a mass casualty level and preparing for up to 20 patients, spokesperson Leslie Taylor said. Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock officials told KATV in the afternoon that 21 people had checked in there with tornado-caused injuries, including five in critical condition.