Storms kill 9 in Arkansas

ARKANSAS (AP):

A tornado tore up a small central Arkansas town, killing four people and leaving the governor wondering yesterday how so many others managed to survive. The night of brutal storms killed at least nine people in the state, and more harsh weather was forecast.

The tornado smashed through the heart of Vilonia, just north of Little Rock, on Monday night, ripping the roof off the grocery store, flattening homes, tossing vehicles into the air and twisting one tractor-trailer like a wrung dish rag.

Four people died in the same division, having sought shelter in less-than-sturdy structures. Two were in separate manufactured homes, while the other two tried to ride out the storm in the disconnected trailer of a big-rig truck. Faulkner County spokesman Stephan Hawks said their bodies were later found in a pond.

All four were adults, he said. He declined to release their names because their relatives were still being notified.

Governor Mike Beebe toured the rural community of 3,800 with emergency officials yesterday morning and talked with storm survivors as they cleared debris from their homes.

"These folks have faced some terrible losses and I'm surprised there aren't more fatalities, based upon looking at some of the damage," Beebe said.