Violent thunderstorms packing tornadoes and hail roared through several states in the US Midwest Sunday, dpa reported. Authorities confirmed at least nine fatalities: eight in Arkansas and one in Oklahoma, CNN reported. A tornado caused "widespread" damage and numerous injuries in Mayflower, Arkansas, a state governor's spokesman said. Trees were toppled and the roofs of buildings were ripped off in a multi-state area reports said. More than 150 reports of severe weather had been received by the Weather Channel over a 12-hour period in the worst outbreak of tornadoes and thunderstorms in the US this year. The National Weather Service predicted tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in much of Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, north-eastern Texas and southern Missouri.
