Death toll rises as fierce storms sweep across US

Spring storms with accompanying tornadoes have torn apart several cities and communities in the central United States.

At least 18 people have died in the storms that swept from Wisconsin in the north to Mississippi in the south.

Storms were reported from at least seven states, where buildings were destroyed, homes leveled, cars overturned and trees snapped..

Around 85 million inhabitants were affected by the storms. One of the worst affected areas was McNairy County in Tennessee where seven people were killed.

But the destruction was almost unimaginable in the small town of Wynne in the state of Arkansas, about eight miles from Memphis in Tennessee.

– I am deeply unhappy that our city has been hit so hard. Our school is gone, my church is gone, said Heidi Jenkins, who runs a beauty salon in Wynn, population about 8,000.

Blown away roofs

The houses that were not destroyed had windows broken and roofs blown off.

The death toll was counted at four when the first rescue efforts arrived at dawn. Emergency crews went door-to-door to count Wynn residents.

– The city was cut in half, from east to west, Mayor Jennifer Hobbs told CNN.

Three more deaths were reported from Sullivan, Indiana.

The number of tornadoes was still unknown Saturday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. But there were at least 40 of them.

A tornado swept through parts of the densely populated capital of the state of Arkansas, Little Rock, causing great devastation, but it claimed no lives.

Died during concert

In Belvidere, Illinois, further north in the USA, a tornado struck the Apollo theater where a hard rock festival was taking place. One man died when parts of the roof collapsed and another 30 were injured during the concert, where bands such as Morbid Angel, Crypta and Skeletal Remains were to perform.

The total extent of the damage could not yet be seen on Saturday, when around 154,000 households were still without power.

The tornadoes hit the central United States just hours after President Joe Biden visited the Mississippi town of Rolling Fork. The president was there to honor the 26 people who died when a prolonged tornado hit the region last week.