At least three dead as swarm of tornadoes sweep through the U.S.
By Brendan O'Brien
(Reuters) - At least three people have been killed and many injured as at least one tornado reportedly ripped through Indiana and Ohio, leveling homes and businesses in its path.
Three deaths were reported in Logan County, Ohio, after at least one tornado touched down in the rural area at about 7:45 p.m. local time on Thursday, the local sheriff said in a statement.
The reported twister caused heavy damage to homes and businesses as it moved east through Lakeview and Midway, where first responders soon arrived to find injuries and fatalities, Logan County Sheriff Randall Dodds said.
Damage from tornadoes is revealed in the morning light after tornadoes ripped through the Indian Lake area of Logan County, Ohio, U.S., March 15, 2024. (Doral Chenoweth/The Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS)
In Indiana, at least one tornado hit the towns of Winchester and Selma in Indiana, injuring many people, authorities said.
"There have been many many significant injuries but I don’t know the number, I don’t know where they are. I don't know what those injuries are," Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter told reporters at a news conference.
NBC News earlier reported, citing the state police, that there were three deaths in a trailer home park in Winchester, which is in Randolph county.
Carter said the police had not heard of any deaths in his area. "There’s a lot that we don’t know yet." He confirmed that the police had initially reported the deaths.
Damage from tornadoes is revealed in the morning light after tornadoes ripped through the Indian Lake area of Logan County, Ohio, U.S., March 15, 2024. (Doral Chenoweth/The Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS)
He said that some buildings and homes had been completely destroyed in Winchester and that work will begin in the morning to search for people who might be trapped in those buildings.
The Indiana Task Force 1 would assist in the search and rescue process and the police will come back with an update later on Friday morning, Carter added.
Indiana State Police Public Information Officer John Perrine confirmed to Reuters that there were no deaths and that many were injured.
Perrine said they were still searching for people who have been affected by the storms, adding that many people have been hospitalized.
The National Weather Service had earlier said that it could not confirm that a tornado touched down in Winchester, but that it was "likely" judging by the damage and images taken by people on the ground.
The storms were part of a night of violent weather that stretched from northeast Texas to Ohio. Several small towns near Winchester also suffered heavy damage from apparent tornadoes.
(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado, Rishabh Jaiswal and Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru. Editing by Gerry Doyle, Jane Merriman and Chizu Nomiyama)
