HOUSTON, April 10 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed and about 30 were injured Thursday night when a tornado struck a "direct hit" on a town in the U.S. state of Arkansas, officials said Friday.

tornado-destroyed home is seen on Friday, April 10, 2009, in Mena, Ark.(Xinhua/AP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The twister roared through Mena, a small town in western Arkansas with a population of some 5,600, shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday. Half of the injuries were serious, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management said.

    Some homes were damaged or destroyed and lines were brought down by high winds, leaving some households without power, officials said.

    Emergency workers began a door-to-door search Friday to check residents in the stricken areas, and shelters were set up in two Mesa churches for the displaced, according to local media.