Tornado Strikes Jonesboro, Ark., Injuring at Least 6, Official Says

A tornado struck Jonesboro, Ark., on Saturday evening, injuring at least six people and damaging a mall, local business and an airport, according to the authorities.

Mayor Harold Perrin of Jonesboro said six people had minor injuries, although he warned that the tally could increase as the authorities continued to search damaged buildings.

He said the large number of people staying at home because of the coronavirus pandemic might have reduced the number of injuries as the tornado cut a swath from the southern part of the city to the northern part, damaging the Mall at Turtle Creek, the Jonesboro Municipal Airport, an Anheuser-Busch granary and local shops.

Bill Campbell, a city spokesman, said two-thirds of the mall and several hangars at the airport were destroyed.

Multiple cars on a freight train had also been knocked over, potentially leaking hazardous materials, he said. Several vehicles were also overturned and knocked into ditches, Mr. Campbell added.

Mr. Perrin said the city had ordered a 7 p.m. curfew to allow emergency vehicles to pass through traffic unimpeded and to discourage gawkers.

“Right now, we have a great amount of damage,” said Sally Smith, a spokeswoman for the Jonesboro Police Department, who added that the authorities from across northeast Arkansas had been summoned to assess the damage.

Mr. Perrin said the Arkansas National Guard was also helping.

“I am paying close attention to the report of a tornado hit in Jonesboro,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson wrote on Twitter. “I know there is property damage. Just praying all is safe.”

The Mall at Turtle Creek — which includes a Dillard’s, JCPenney and a Target — had been temporarily closed because of the coronavirus, according to its website, although “essential stores and restaurants with exterior-facing entrances” had remained open.

“There was severe damage to our shopping center and emergency services are on site,” said Lindsay Kahn, a spokeswoman for Brookfield Properties, which owns the mall. “We are very grateful that there are no reported casualties within our property. This is a devastating time for our community and our thoughts are with everyone impacted.”

Rick Smith, a warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Norman, Okla., said his son had been in the tornado.

“He’s okay but there’s a lot of damage,” Mr. Smith wrote on Twitter. “So scary.”

The tornado struck Jonesboro at about 5 p.m. before moving northeast, according to the National Weather Service office in Little Rock.