(CNN) –At least three people and two horses were killed when a suspected tornado hit northwestern Arkansas this morning.
The three died in Washington County, which is now also facing power outages after the strong storm went through, said Ann Upton, the county’s emergency management deputy.
The storm injured at least 12 people and caused damage in neighbouring Benton County, near the Arkansas state lines with Oklahoma and Missouri, officials said.
Five victims from the area were in critical condition, said Washington Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Terry Fox.
She said she had also heard reports that “several people were trapped.”
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Six homes and four chicken production facilities were destroyed in the storm, while five homes suffered moderate to heavy damage, said Matt Garrity, the county’s manager of emergency services.
A fire station, three buildings, and one store were also damaged, he said, and an airport that serves northwestern Arkansas has closed due to debris in the area.
“We are in part of tornado alley,” Garrity explained. “So even a small storm does a lot of damage.”
He said emergency crews are currently surveying the extent of damage and “making sure that no one is trapped.”
The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management issued a tornado advisory as bad weather lingered in the state, instructing residents to seek shelter in their home’s interior rooms or on its lowest floor.
