At least eight dead in Dyer Co. following severe weather
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Emergency officials reported that eight people in west Tennessee were killed Sunday night as severe storms and possible tornadoes swept across the state.
Local emergency officials reported the eight deaths in Dyer County, and they were concerned the number of fatalities could rise, said Tennessee Emergency Management Agency spokesman Kurt Pickering.
The Jackson Sun newspaper reported one fatality in Gibson County, which is next to Dyer County in western Tennessee.
Tornadoes were reported in several West Tennessee counties as storms also caused extensive damage to buildings, officials said.
The National Weather Service reported that tornadoes were spotted in five counties in Tennessee's northwest corner: Obion, Dyer, Gibson, Weakley and Carroll.
Parts of Arkansas were battered with tornadoes and pelted with softball-sized hail Sunday afternoon in storms that destroyed several homes and left dozens of people injured. Severe thunderstorms also raced across parts of Illinois and Indiana, where concertgoers in downtown Indianapolis were sent scrambling for cover.
© 2006 The Associated Press.
Sunday night tornados leave behind death, destruction
At least nine fatalities were reported Sunday night after tornadoes touched down in several West Tennessee counties, though emergency officials were still assessing injuries and the extent of the damage.
Eight fatalities were reported in Dyer County, according to Kurt Pickering with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. No further details were immediately available.
An unidentified person was found dead on arrival on Big Skinner Road in Bradford in Gibson County, and six injured children were brought into that city's emergency response center from Griffin Chapel Road, according to a firefighter.
The small Gibson County city also reported heavy damage to the police department, fire department and city hall. The city has set up a command center at Tenn. 54 and Tenn. 105