At least three people are dead in Ohio after apparent tornadoes ravaged the Midwest during a severe weather outbreak on Thursday, leaving a trail of extensive damage from Indiana into the Buckeye State, officials said.
“Three people have been confirmed dead. We are working on identifying the victims,” said a statement from Chief Deputy Joe Kopus of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office. Local reporting earlier indicated six people had died.
Witness accounts of at least five tornadoes were reported in Northern Ohio, FOX Weather reported.
According to Sheri Timmers, a spokesperson for Logan County, a suspected tornado left multiple buildings in the Indian Lake area damaged and multiple residents are believed to have suffered various injuries.
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Members of the Huntsville Volunteer Fire Department enter a home to search for victims following a severe storm in Lakeview, Ohio, on Friday, March 15. (AP/Timothy D. Easley)
“As far as we know, we have lots of injuries. We don’t know the extent of the injuries,” Timmers said. “An RV park was impacted.”
More than 15,000 electrical outages were reported across Ohio as of Friday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.
An apparent tornado can be seen moving in Hancock County, Ohio, on March 14 in a screengrab obtained from a social media video. (Tom Simmons/via REUTERS )
In Huron County, emergency management officials warned of a “confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado” near Plymouth.
Another suspected twister also touched down about 75 miles to the west in Winchester, Indiana, a town of 4,700 people located nearly 70 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
The Indiana State Police said Friday that there are “many significant injuries.”
Debris scatters the ground following a severe storm Friday in Lakeview, Ohio. (AP/Joshua A. Bickel)
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“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 Douglas Carter told a group of reporters just after midnight. “There’s a lot that we don’t know yet.”
An apparent tornado is seen in the distance in Madison, Indiana, on Thursday. Severe weather across the state and into Ohio left at least three dead, many injured and significant damage as of Friday morning. (Tony Novello)
The storm damaged a Walmart store and a Taco Bell in Winchester, Randolph County Sheriff Art Moystner told FOX59/CBS4.
“I’m shaken; it’s overwhelming,” Winchester Mayor Bob McCoy said in a statement to The Associated Press. “I heard what sounded like a train and then I started hearing sirens. I’ve never heard that sound before; I don’t want to hear it again.”
To the west of Winchester, in Delaware County, emergency management officials said about half of the structures in the small town of Selma were damaged by a possible tornado.
Greg McDougle walks near debris Friday, March 15, following a severe storm in Lakeview, Ohio. (AP/Joshua A. Bickel)
“We are relieved to report that only minor injuries have been reported thus far, with one individual transported to the hospital for treatment,” the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency said in a news release.
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Storms also damaged homes and trailers in Hanover and Lamb.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
