Mena - The western Arkansas city of Mena has sustained major damage from a tornado that moved through Thursday night, killing three people and injuring at least 30.

Mayor George McKee confirmed the death and injury counts, saying at least 30 people were taken to hospitals.

Prosecutor Tim Williamson says two plants in Mena's industrial park were destroyed - a plastics manufacturer and an ice plant. The storm also ripped the roof off the local community college.

Williamson says dispatchers at the county courthouse had been trapped inside immediately after the storm. He said the Polk County Jail was "uninhabitable" and efforts were being made to transfer inmates to nearby counties.

Utility crews are in the city examining the damage and there had been "major gas leaks" overnight, Williamson says.

Downtown Mena was dark early Friday morning, with only the blue lights of police cruisers illuminating the streets. Police blocked traffic from crossing into the city's west side where the tornado tore through the county courthouse, city hall and a fire station.

Williamson says the storm uprooted 100-year-old trees and Civil War-era homes that had been restored.

McKee says downed trees were making it impossible for rescue crews to get into some areas. He says rescuers would begin a group search at first light. He says rescuers would make door-to-door searches.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Raw Video: Tornado Damage

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