LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Tornadoes and thunderstorms ripped through Arkansas on Sunday, killing a motorist and damaging homes and businesses in several counties.

Strong winds believed to have been a tornado struck a lumberyard near Plumerville, about 40 miles northwest of Little Rock, scattering wood across an interstate and overturning vehicles.

A car headed west on the interstate was tossed into the opposite lanes and overturned, killing one person, state police spokesman Bill Sadler said.

“Whether the lumber played a role in this, that is still under investigation,” Sadler said.

Perry County emergency workers rescued another person who was trapped in a damaged home about 14 miles away in Perryville, also believed to have been hit by a tornado.

In Morrilton, just west of Plumerville, Mayor Stewart Nelson said crews were searching for missing people late into Sunday night.

Garland County Sheriff Larry Sanders said his officers had received reports of other residents trapped in damaged homes southwest of Little Rock.

Debris made the roads impassable for police and other rescue workers in several areas, Arkansas Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Kelly Robinson said. She said the state had received calls reporting destroyed or damaged homes in Cleburne, Fulton and Garland counties.

Six homes were destroyed in Pike County, according to the sheriff’s office there. In Mountain Home, a home was destroyed along with another home in Bee Branch in Van Buren County. Structure damage was reported to police in the Perry County town of Cherry Hill.

Statwide, at least 7,500 homes were without power, Entergy spokesman James Thompson said.

AP-ES-11-27-05 2345EST