Tornado pummels central Arkansas, killing at least 20, injuring dozens

Arkansas first responders on Saturday will sift through debris for more possible victims after a fierce tornado sliced through the Little Rock area and northeastern part of the state, killing at least two people and injuring dozens of others.

The twister sheared roofs and walls from many buildings, flipped over vehicles and downed trees and power lines, officials said.

A blast of extreme spring weather swept much of the United States on Friday, menacing the nation's midsection from Texas to the Great Lakes with thunderstorms and tornados.

Two fatalities in Arkansas were reported in Wynne, about 100 miles (160 km) east of Little Rock, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Friday night.

One person was killed and more than 50 people hospitalized in North Little Rock, Pulaski County spokeswoman Madeline Roberts told the Washington Post.

Although more than 30 people were taken to hospital in the Little Rock area, none had died as of Friday night, said Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr., who added that the count remained imprecise.

"It is truly by the grace of God that we have not experienced any fatalities to date," Scott said in a news conference.

Communities battered, continue searching for loved ones

One of several areas to get battered was a section of western Little Rock that is home to 2,100 people, Assistant Police Chief Andre Dyer said.

In Sullivan County, Indiana, three people were killed, Indiana State Police Sergeant Matt Ames said. A state of emergency was declared for the affected areas, Sheriff Jason Bobbitt said on Facebook.

In Belvidere, a city in northern Illinois, one person was killed and 28 injured when extreme weather tore the roof off a theater during a heavy metal concert.

Belvidere Fire Chief Shawn Schadle said about 260 people were attending the concert at the city's Apollo Theatre, which featured the headline act Morbid Angel as part of the group's "Tour of Terror."

Concert-goer Gabrielle Lewellyn told WTVO television that people took refuge in the basement when the roof came crashing down.

"They dragged someone out from the rubble. And I sat with him and I held his hand and I said everything is going to be OK. I didn't really know much else what to do," Lewellyn said.

The turbulent weather occurred one week after a swarm of thunderstorms unleashed a deadly tornado that devastated the Mississippi town of Rolling Fork, destroying many of the community's 400 homes and killing 26 people.