Death Toll From Tornadoes in Arkansas and Oklahoma Rises to 17

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John Ward, an automobile and RV dealer, looks an tornado damage to one of his trucks in Mayflower, Ark., Sunday, April 27, 2014. A tornado struck the dealer's on lot Sunday.

Image: AP Photo/Danny Johnston/Associated Press

By Stan Schroeder2014-04-28 10:13:28 UTC

At least 17 people are dead as a result of two tornadoes that roared through Arkansas and Oklahoma on Sunday, Reuters reports.

Strong winds caused massive damage in the towns of Mayflower and Vilonia, located in Arkanasas' Faulkner county. According to Arkansas authorities, at least 10 people had died in Faulkner, and six more across the state. Another person was killed in Quapaw, Oklahoma, according to Ottawa County Sheriff's Department spokesman Derek Derwin.

See also: Aerial Drone Footage Shows Extent of Central U.S. Tornado Destruction

"An entire neighborhood of 50 or so homes has been destroyed. Many homes are completely gone except the foundation ... There is more devastation like this in other parts of Arkansas," state congressman Tim Griffin told Reuters.

Until now, the 2014 tornado season was considered to be one of the quietest on record. However, the storm that hit Arkansas might be one of the strongest ever recorded.

The tornado was "at least a half mile wide," Greg Johnson, an author and storm chaser with tornadohunter.com told Mashable.

The National Weather Service in North Little Rock said the storm that hit Mayflower and Vilonia "has the potential to be EF3 or greater," according to Fox news. "Based on some of the footage we've seen from Mayflower and where it crossed Interstate 40, things were wrecked in a very significant way," said meteorologist Jeff Hood.

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Topics: Arkansas, oklahoma, tornadoes, U.S., US & World