One person was killed and 10 others were injured, one critically, as tornadoes and severe weather struck the Midwest and mid-South Wednesday, destroying buildings, toppling semis and train cars, and tearing down trees, officials said.
One person was killed in Missouri between Delta and Advance, two communities around 11 miles apart in the southeastern part of the state, Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Clark Parrott said.
“Stay away and stay home,” he said, because electric crews need access to the area.
There were also four people injured in Arkansas, four in Kentucky and two in Indiana, officials said. The person critically injured was hurt in a suspected tornado in Ballard County, Kentucky, when they were in a vehicle and taking shelter in a church carport, the county emergency management director said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this devastating event,” Ballard County Director of Emergency Management Travis Holder said in a statement.
Earlier Wednesday, a confirmed EF1 tornado struck Vernon County, Missouri, where eight train cars were knocked over and there was extensive tree damage, the National Weather Service said.
In the area of Lake City, Arkansas, a community of around 2,600, videos posted to social media showed what appeared to be a large funnel cloud.
There was severe property damage, Lake City Fire Chief Hunter Timms said, but there had been no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.
More than 23 million people were under tornado watches Wednesday night from Texas to Ohio, as well as western Kentucky and Tennessee, and forecasters said the severe weather could last for days.
