Many trapped, two dead as tornado hits nursing home in Arkansas - media

[December 11, 2021]    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A score of people were trapped on Friday in a nursing home in northeastern Arkansas after it was struck by a tornado that killed two people and injured five, media said, citing a county official.

Dozens of people were trapped in an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, following a powerful tornado strike on Friday that caused a structural collapse.

The tornado that hit the nursing home in the city of Monette was among a string of tornadoes in the region, including one in the nearby town of Truman, according to the channel KAIT, an affiliate of broadcaster NBC in Jonesboro.

It quoted the official, Judge Marvin Day of Craighead county, as saying two people were killed, five injured and at least 20 trapped in the Monette Manor nursing home near the Tennessee border.

There were reports that a nursing home in Truman was also damaged, with fire and rescue teams heading for the area, it added.

The U.S. National Weather Service had issued tornado warnings on Friday night for areas in several states including Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri and Illinois.

(Reporting by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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