Severe storms leave at least 10 dead, dozens injured in South, Midwest

by Julia Shapero - 04/01/23 11:46 AM ET

A homs is damaged and trees are down after a tornado swept through Little Rock, Ark., Friday, March 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)

Severe storms slammed the South and Midwest on Friday, leaving at least 10 people dead and injuring dozens more.

Five people were killed in a series of tornadoes in Arkansas, with four deaths occurring in the hard-hit city of Wynne alone, the county coroner told KAIT-TV.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R), who declared a state of emergency and activated the Arkansas National Guard on Friday evening, noted that Wynne had suffered “widespread damage.”

One person also died in Belvidere, Ill., after a tornado caused a partial roof collapse during a concert. Three others were killed in Sullivan, Ind., and another died in Madison County, Ala., in Friday’s storms, according to local outlets.

The National Weather Service recorded more than 50 preliminary tornado reports across seven states throughout Friday night. More than 300,00 customers remained without power across the region on Saturday morning, according to Poweroutage.us.