Tornadoes tore across Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi on Tuesday, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens in a rare midwinter outbreak of violent weather.
A couple and a child were killed after a tornado touched down near the center of Atkins, a community of 3,000 along the Arkansas River in the central part of the state, the Pope County Sheriff's Office said.
Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe's office later said seven people were killed across the state, including in the communities of Clinton and Gassville.
Emergency crews went door-to-door in Atkins seeking other possible victims, the Pope County Sheriff's Office said. Power lines blocked traffic to the community along the Arkansas River in central Arkansas.
At least six tornadoes touched down between Oxford, Miss., and Jackson, Tenn., said a National Weather Service spokesman. More than 30 people were injured in the two states, hospital officials said.
Authorities said two people have were killed in Tennessee.
Police in Jackson, Tenn., about 75 miles of northeast of Memphis, said severe storms damaged Union University on Tuesday night, injuring 16 people, reported WSMV-TV in Nashville, Tenn.
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency spokesman Donnie Smith said a large amount of damage had been reported at the school.
An amount of anhydrous ammonia was released into the atmosphere at a bottling company due to high winds, Smith said, but officials said that there was not a high risk of danger.
Officials in Hopkinsville, Tenn., reported that several homes have been damaged or destroyed from a strong storm pushing into the area.
Memphis police on the scene at a mall said no one has been severely injured after it was struck by a severe storm, possibly a tornado.
Deputy Chief Steve Cole said no one was trapped when the high winds collapsed the mall roof at the Sears store and damaged other buildings in the area. Cole said some people suffered minor cuts and scrapes.
Police say the mall sustained "severe damage," including a collapsed roof and walls.
At least 11,000 power outages were reported in Shelby County, Tennessee, where Memphis is located, reported WAPT-TV in Jackson, Miss.
Officials also reported that an unknown number of people were trapped in an industrial plant in the Memphis area and that the FedEx airport hangar at the Memphis International Airport was damaged.
A tornado watch was posted for much of Mississippi on Tuesday as warm temperatures and an approaching frontal system churned up powerful thunderstorms.
The National Weather Service said the possibility of violent weather would continue well into the night hours Tuesday, including the threat of damaging wind gusts and large hail.
The greatest threat appeared to be the Delta and northwestern counties but the watch area included counties down into the Jackson area.
Tornado warnings were also rolling across Kentucky, and Kentucky State Police said one person suffered minor injuries when a mobile home turned over in southwestern Kentucky.
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