- NEW: Fatalities are reported in Oklahoma and Arkansas
- Vilonia mayor: I'm seeing "a lot of damage"; a subdivision has been leveled
- Damage is "widespread" in Mayflower, Arkansas, an official says
- Buildings are damaged in Quapaw, Oklahoma, a state emergency official says
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Mayflower, Arkansas (CNN) -- Tornadoes tore through several states Sunday evening as severe weather slammed into parts of the central United States.
Authorities confirmed at least nine fatalities: eight in Arkansas and one in Oklahoma.
Damage is "widespread" after a tornado hit Mayflower, Arkansas, and there are numerous reports of injuries, said Matt DeCample, a spokesman for the state's governor.
Damage is also widespread in Vilonia, north of Little Rock, he said.
Funnel cloud spotted in Kansas? 
Tornado damage is extensive in the River Plantation neighborhood of Mayflower, Arkansas, on Sunday, April 27, 2014. 
Storm damage is seen near Mayflower, Arkansas, on April 27. 
A tornado touches down in Baxter Springs, Kansas, on April 27. 
A funnel cloud is seen near Baxter Springs, Kansas, on April 27. 
A funnel cloud is seen near Quapaw, Oklahoma on April 27. 
A hospital clinic had its roof blown off Sunday afternoon in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on April 27. Tornadoes, strike central U.S. "I can't even get down the main street down to the middle of town," Vilonia Mayor James Firestone said.
"I am trying to make my way through the downed trees and power lines. What I am seeing, it is a lot of damage. I've been listening to the rescue folks. They're saying people have to be extracted from vehicles. ... It looks pretty bad. From what I understand, there has been a subdivision that's been leveled."
In Mayflower, overturned, smashed cars were visible along the freeway as search and rescue teams combed the area.
Video from CNN affiliate KARK showed a decimated building in Mayflower surrounded by scattered debris and emergency vehicles.
Interstate 40 was shut down as authorities removed debris from the highway after the tornado struck Mayflower, said Arkansas State Patrol spokesman Bill Sadler. Mayflower is roughly 25 miles northwest of Little Rock.
TORNADO EMERGENCY FOR THIDA AND OIL TROUGH! TORNADO 6 MILES NE OF STEPROCK MOVING NE AT 45 MPH! TAKE COVER NOW! #arwx
— NWS Little Rock (@NWSLittleRock) April 28, 2014 The National Weather Service's Little Rock office tweeted a series of messages warning of tornadoes, reporting damage and telling residents to take cover.
A tornado crossing I-40 "was reported to be as much as a half-mile wide," the weather service said. Officials reported overturned semi-trucks and destroyed homes, the weather service said.
Witnesses also spotted a twister in the Oklahoma town of Quapaw on Sunday, an emergency official said, as severe weather slammed into parts of the central United States.
Joe Dan Morgan, emergency manager in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, said ambulances had deployed after reports of a funnel on the ground in Quapaw, and rescuers were working in an area where a concrete wall crashed onto a car.
Numerous buildings in the town were damaged, said Keli Cain with Oklahoma Emergency Management.
Kelly Flecks, an emergency dispatcher in Ottawa County, also said a tornado hit the town.
1.The "Tri-State Tornado," which killed 695 people and injured 2,027, was the deadliest tornado in U.S. history, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The tornado traveled more than 300 miles through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana on March 18, 1925, and was rated an F5, the most powerful under old Fujita scale (winds of 260-plus mph). 
2. The "Natchez Tornado" killed 317 people and injured 109 on May 6, 1840, along the Mississippi River in Louisiana and Mississippi. The official death toll may not have included slaves, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 
3. The "St. Louis Tornado" killed 255 people and injured 1,000 on May 27, 1896, in Missouri and Illinois. It had winds of between 207 mph and 260 mph. 
4. The "Tupelo Tornado" killed 216 people and injured 700 on April 5, 1936, in the northeastern Mississippi city. 
5. The "Gainesville Tornado" was a pair of storms that converged April 6, 1936, in Gainesville, Georgia, killing 203 people and injuring 1,600. The tornado destroyed four blocks and 750 houses in the northern Georgia town. 
6. The "Woodward Tornado" wreaked havoc across parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas on April 9, 1947 killing 181 people and injuring 970. The funnel cloud reportedly was more than a mile wide in places. 
7. The tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, on May 22, 2011, killed 158 people and injured more than 1,000. The storm packed winds in excess of 200 mph and was on the ground for more than 22 miles. 
8. The "Amite/Pine/Purvis Tornado" killed 143 people and injured 770 on April 24, 1908. The storm left only seven houses intact in Purvis, Mississippi, and also caused damage in Amite, Louisiana. 
9. The "New Richmond Tornado" killed 117 people and injured 200 on June 12, 1899, in New Richmond, Wisconsin. 
10. The "Flint Tornado" killed 115 people and injured 844 on June 8, 1953, in Flint, Michigan. The tornado was the deadliest twister ever recorded in the state. Photos: 10 deadliest U.S. tornadoes "Search and rescue is under way involving several agencies," she said. "Please tell the public to stay away so they can do their jobs. We can't confirm anything else at the moment.
Quapaw is in the northeastern part of the state, near the borders with Kansas and Missouri.
Also Sunday evening, a tornado emergency was declared for Maumelle, Arkansas, the weather service said. Maumelle is also northwest of Little Rock in central Arkansas.
Storm spotters were tracking a confirmed tornado with reports of damage, the weather service said. A tornado emergency is issued when a storm is producing a life-threatening, confirmed tornado capable of significant destruction.
Strong tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail were expected for parts of the Central Plains and along the Mississippi River Valley on Sunday, CNN meteorologists said.
Forecasters from the weather service warned that numerous tornadoes could hit, "with a few intense tornadoes likely." Large hail and damaging winds are also possible, forecasters said.
Baxter Springs, KS #tornado #kswx #OpRaindance @Scooter313 @JolyaneLimoges http://ift.tt/1kayesI
— Mike Smith (@TeamBCX) April 27, 2014 Storm chasers and witnesses posted images of twisters in several states on social media.
Mike Smith from TeamBCX shared a picture of white funnel spinning against a dark sky near a field in Baxter Springs, Kansas, where there were several reports of damage from a tornado Sunday.
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CNN's Devon Sayers reported from Mayflower. CNN's Dave Alsup and Matthew Stucker reported from Atlanta. CNN's Chad Myers, Catherine E. Shoichet and Sean Morris contributed to this report.
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