Storms kill 7 in Arkansas

Severe storms that rolled across Arkansas early Friday killed at least seven people, including a teenager crushed by a tree while she slept in her bed.

DAMASCUS, Ark. - Storms rolled across Arkansas early Friday, killing at least six people including a teenager crushed by a tree while she slept in her bed.

Earlier, storms late Thursday and early Friday seriously damaged homes and businesses in the Kansas City, Mo., area, and tornadoes were also reported in Oklahoma and Texas, although there were no immediate reports of severe damage.

In northwest Arkansas, a 15-year-old girl was killed early Friday when a tree fell on her home in Siloam Springs, police said. A 10-year-old boy in the home was taken to a hospital. Police said he was not seriously injured.

Arkansas Department of Emergency Management spokesman Tommy Jackson also confirmed two deaths in Conway County and three deaths in Van Buren County, north of Little Rock in the central part of the state. The Conway County victims were a father and son in a mobile home, the sheriff's office said.

The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for several counties in central and north Arkansas, while a spotter reported a tornado down just after 8:30 a.m. near Damascus.

In the Kansas City area, officials said several people were injured, none seriously. About 40,000 lost power at the peak of the storm, which brought wind of up to 80 mph. Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser said 100 homes suffered significant damage in the city alone. Damage was also reported in the suburbs and in Lawrence, to the west.

In northeast Kansas City, dozens of homes had chunks of their roofs missing, and trees were knocked from their roots and laying along the roads and in ditches. Police blocked off roads surrounding the damaged neighborhoods Friday.

In Canton, Texas, local officials said an apparent tornado Friday ripped down power lines and injured two people in overturned vehicles. Details on their condition were not immediately available.

At least two tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma late Thursday, including one near Ralston, though no injuries or significant damage was reported there.