Tornado Hits Kansas Community

Officials say 25 people were injured and dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed by a tornado in the southeastern Kansas town of Baxter Springs.

Southeast Kansas Incident Management Team spokeswoman Kari West said late Sunday night that one person died, but it was not clear whether the death was related to the storm.

West said nine of the injured were taken to area hospitals. Their conditions were not immediately available.

West said that search and rescue crews had gone through all of the damaged properties more than once, and everyone was accounted for.

The tornado struck around 5:45 p.m. and was roughly three blocks wide, cutting a diagonal through the town of about 4,200 people.

Tornadoes also touched down in parts of Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

Residents of the Little Rock suburb of Vilonia are just three years removed from a devastating tornado as they wonder how they’ll recover from yet another. The most powerful tornado yet this year carved a path through their city and others nearby, killing at least 16 people. One person died in an Oklahoma twister.