AMERICAS 
Tornadoes, storms claim lives in US
Wednesday, 6 February, 2008
Authorities in Tennessee survey the damage caused by severe storms and tornados (AAP)
Tornadoes have swirled across the southern United States, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens in wild mid-winter weather.
A couple and a child were killed after a tornado touched down near the centre of Atkins, Arkansas, a community of 3,000 along the Arkansas River in the central part of the state, the local sheriff's office said.
Governor Mike Beebe's office later said seven people were killed across Arkansas, including in the towns of Clinton and Gassville.
Authorities in Tennessee said two people had been killed by tornadoes in that state.
Certain media reports claim at least 14 people have died as a result of the severe storms.
Voting closes early
Local media reported at least four polling stations in western Tennessee, where voting in the state's presidential primaries was underway, were closed early because of the storm.
In Atkins, Arkansas, at least one polling station stayed open to serve as a Red Cross shelter after the polls closed.
"It's been a wild night," said state emergency management spokesman Tommy Jackson. "A heck of a way to have elections in Arkansas."
Power outage
The power was knocked out briefly at a Little Rock convention hall that hosted a watch party for Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor.
"While we hope tonight is a time for us to celebrate election results, we are reminded that nothing is as important as the lives of these fellow Arkansans, and our hearts go out to their families," Huckabee said.
Mobile phone pictures sent to television stations showed a dark, broad funnel approaching Atkins. Traffic was snarled on nearby Interstate 40, with reports of semi-trailers on their sides.
At least six tornadoes had touched down between Oxford, Mississippi and Jackson, Tennessee, said Richard Okulski of the National Weather Service in Memphis.
Injuries
More than 30 people were injured in the two states, hospital officials said.
In Oxford, 11 people ranging in age from infants to senior citizens were taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital with injuries caused by a tornado and all were reported to be in a stable condition, said Peyton Warrington, the hospital's assistant administrator.
The storm also tore a large part of the north wall off Hickory Ridge Mall in Memphis.
Steve Cole of the Memphis Police Department said a few people had taken shelter under a bridge north of the mall and were washed away, but were pulled out of the river with only scrapes.
University damaged
Later, the same system damaged a dormitory at Union University in Jackson, where a 2003 tornado killed 11 people and one in 1999 killed nine.
Eight students were trapped but weren't seriously injured, school spokesman Tim Ellsworth said.
In Arkansas, the Baxter County Sheriff's Office said debris, including parts of houses, blocked US Highway 62.
Gas leak likely
The town of Gassville was sealed off because of the possibility of gas leaks that could cause an explosion, and injury reports could not be confirmed because phone lines were down.
Twisters in northern Mississippi tore through buildings and ripped down power lines. The National Weather Service said it had received reports of injuries in the area, but the extent of those injuries was not immediately available.
The tornadoes were part of a huge storm that swept across much of the country's mid-section, dropping snow on its northern edge, thunderstorms elsewhere and threatening flooding in areas of the Midwest still recovering from a disastrously wet summer.
Source: AFP
A couple and a child were killed after a tornado touched down near the centre of Atkins, Arkansas, a community of 3,000 along the Arkansas River in the central part of the state, the local sheriff's office said.
Governor Mike Beebe's office later said seven people were killed across Arkansas, including in the towns of Clinton and Gassville.
Authorities in Tennessee said two people had been killed by tornadoes in that state.
Certain media reports claim at least 14 people have died as a result of the severe storms.
Voting closes early
Local media reported at least four polling stations in western Tennessee, where voting in the state's presidential primaries was underway, were closed early because of the storm.
In Atkins, Arkansas, at least one polling station stayed open to serve as a Red Cross shelter after the polls closed.
"It's been a wild night," said state emergency management spokesman Tommy Jackson. "A heck of a way to have elections in Arkansas."
Power outage
The power was knocked out briefly at a Little Rock convention hall that hosted a watch party for Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor.
"While we hope tonight is a time for us to celebrate election results, we are reminded that nothing is as important as the lives of these fellow Arkansans, and our hearts go out to their families," Huckabee said.
Mobile phone pictures sent to television stations showed a dark, broad funnel approaching Atkins. Traffic was snarled on nearby Interstate 40, with reports of semi-trailers on their sides.
At least six tornadoes had touched down between Oxford, Mississippi and Jackson, Tennessee, said Richard Okulski of the National Weather Service in Memphis.
Injuries
More than 30 people were injured in the two states, hospital officials said.
In Oxford, 11 people ranging in age from infants to senior citizens were taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital with injuries caused by a tornado and all were reported to be in a stable condition, said Peyton Warrington, the hospital's assistant administrator.
The storm also tore a large part of the north wall off Hickory Ridge Mall in Memphis.
Steve Cole of the Memphis Police Department said a few people had taken shelter under a bridge north of the mall and were washed away, but were pulled out of the river with only scrapes.
University damaged
Later, the same system damaged a dormitory at Union University in Jackson, where a 2003 tornado killed 11 people and one in 1999 killed nine.
Eight students were trapped but weren't seriously injured, school spokesman Tim Ellsworth said.
In Arkansas, the Baxter County Sheriff's Office said debris, including parts of houses, blocked US Highway 62.
Gas leak likely
The town of Gassville was sealed off because of the possibility of gas leaks that could cause an explosion, and injury reports could not be confirmed because phone lines were down.
Twisters in northern Mississippi tore through buildings and ripped down power lines. The National Weather Service said it had received reports of injuries in the area, but the extent of those injuries was not immediately available.
The tornadoes were part of a huge storm that swept across much of the country's mid-section, dropping snow on its northern edge, thunderstorms elsewhere and threatening flooding in areas of the Midwest still recovering from a disastrously wet summer.
Source: AFP