Extreme tornado damage in Little Rock, Arkansas after scores of homes destroyed across US with death toll rising
The death toll continues to rise after thousands of buildings were destroyed in Arkansas and other US states by dozens of tornadoes.
At least 25 people have died so far across the South and Midwest of the US, with the number of dead expected to increase following the tornadoes on Friday night.
Nine of the deaths are in McNairy County in southwestern Tennessee, according to the county’s sheriff.
Five of the deaths are in Cross and Pulaski counties in Arkansas, four in Boone and Crawford counties in Illinois, three are in Sullivan County, Indiana, one in Pontotac County, Mississippi, one in Madison County, Alabama and one in Tipton County, Tennessee, according to officials.
The National Weather Service said the damage was so widespread it would take days to reach all affected areas.
The mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas’s capital, said more than 2,100 homes and businesses had been damaged in the city, but the full extent of the damage is still being assessed.
At least one person was killed in the area and more than two dozen were hurt, some critically, Little Rock authorities added.
The twisters sheared roofs and walls from many buildings, flipped over vehicles and downed trees and power lines in Little Rock and large areas east and northeast of the state capital, officials said.
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NBC’s Emilie Ikeda reports from Arkansas
Joanna McFadden was at a nail salon with two other people when a tornado struck.
“The only way we knew the tornado was coming – the leaves were swirling, that’s the only way we knew. It looked like it was standing still,” Ms McFadden said.
She and others took shelter in the back of the salon.
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Tornado damage in Little Rock, Arkansas
The town of Wynne in northeastern Arkansas was also devastated, and officials reported four dead there, along with destroyed homes and people trapped in the debris.
Wynne City councillor Lisa Powell Carter said the town – about 50 miles west of Memphis, Tennessee – was without power and roads were full of debris.
“I’m sad that my town has been hit so hard,” said Heidi Jenkins, a salon owner.
“Our school is gone, my church is gone. I’m sad for all the people who lost their homes.”
Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders activated 100 members of the National Guard to help local authorities respond.
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Watch drone footage of the devastation in Wynne, Arkansas
Tornado damage
Damage in Wynne, Arkansas
Elsewhere across the US, the roof of a packed concert venue in Illinois collapsed, leaving people throughout the region bewildered by the damage on Saturday.
Confirmed or suspected tornadoes in at least seven states destroyed homes and businesses, splintered trees, and lay waste to neighbourhoods across an area of the country home to some 85 million people.
Nearly 90,000 customers in Arkansas lost power, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks outages. Outages were also reported in Iowa, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Indiana and Texas.
The United States and European Union have agreed a trade deal, says Donald Trump.
The announcement was made as the US president met European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen at one of his golf resorts in Scotland.
Speaking after talks in Turnberry, Mr Trump said the EU deal was the “biggest deal ever made” and it will be “great for cars”.
The US will impose 15% tariffs on EU goods into America, after Mr Trump had threatened a 30% levy.
He said there will be an EU investment of $600bn in the US, the bloc will buy $750bn in US energy and will also purchase US military equipment.
Mr Trump had earlier said the main sticking point was “fairness”, citing barriers to US exports of cars and agriculture.
He went into the talks demanding fairer trade with the 27-member EU and threatening steep tariffs to achieve that, while insisting the US will not go below 15% import taxes.
For months, Mr Trump has threatened most of the world with large tariffs in the hope of shrinking major US trade deficits with many key trading partners, including the EU.
Ms von der Leyen said the agreement would include 15% tariffs across the board, saying it would help rebalance trade between the two large trading partners.
In case there was no deal and the US had imposed 30% tariffs from 1 August, the EU has prepared counter-tariffs on €93bn (£81bn) of US goods.
Ahead of their meeting on Sunday, Ms von der Leyen described Mr Trump as a “tough negotiator and dealmaker”.
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At least 11 people have been stabbed at a Walmart supermarket in Michigan, with six in a critical condition.
Officials say a suspect is in custody – and at this stage, it is believed the attack was a “random act” that involved a folding-style knife near the checkout area.
Sheriff Michael Shea told reporters: “Eleven is 11 too many, but thank God it wasn’t more.”
Pic: AP
The suspect, who is from Michigan, is not known to police – and was captured within three minutes thanks to “citizen involvement”.
The attack unfolded in Traverse City – and Tiffany DeFell, who was in the car park at the time, described scenes of chaos.
“It was really scary. Me and my sister were just freaking out,” she said. “This is something you see out of the movies.”
Beyond the six people in a critical condition, it is believed the remaining five were seriously hurt. All 11 are still being treated in hospital.
Pic: AP
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said: “Our thoughts are with the victims and the community reeling from this brutal act of violence.”
A Walmart spokesperson added that the retailer is working closely with law enforcement.
“Violence like this is unacceptable. Our thoughts are with those who were injured and we’re thankful for the swift action of first responders,” a statement said.
Pic: AP
At this stage, the ages of the victims is unclear – but it is not thought any of the victims were Walmart employees.
Traverse City is about 255 miles northwest of Detroit.
A US passenger plane made a dramatic plunge minutes after take-off to dodge another aircraft – injuring two cabin crew and causing passengers to shoot out of their seats.
The Southwest flight had just taken off from Burbank in California when the pilot received an alert about a nearby plane.
Data from FlightAware shows the aircraft dropped by 91m (300ft) in just 36 seconds. Those on board said they felt panicked, and some feared the plane was about to crash.
Comedian Jimmy Dore posted on X: “Pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid mid-air collision … myself and plenty of people flew out of their seats and bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention.”
Stef Zambrano saw a woman who wasn’t wearing her seatbelt thrown out of her seat, who then said: “I want to get off this plane. I want to be on the ground.”
Another passenger, Steve Ulasewicz, told NBC Los Angeles that it felt like the plane was in freefall for 10 seconds.
“People were screaming. You know, it was pandemonium. People thought the plane was going down,” he added.
The aircraft was able to continue to its destination of Las Vegas, where it safely landed without any further incident.
It is believed the Boeing 737 was in the same vicinity as a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58, a British fighter jet.
Southwest is now working with the Federal Aviation Administration “to further understand the circumstances” of the event.
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January: Footage of Washington plane crash
This is the second time in a week that a passenger plane has had to make abrupt flight manoeuvres to avoid a potential mid-air collision.
Concerns have been raised about aviation safety in the US following a series of recent incidents.
In January, a mid-air collision in Washington DC killed 67 people.
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