the police say this tornado I've cut through the countryside Indiana community of winchesterMany people suffered „serious injuries“ and authorities are struggling to confirm multiple reports of deaths.
„There were a lot of major injuries, but we don't know how many. We don't know where they are. We don't know what those injuries are,“ Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter told reporters Thursday night. told. „There's still a lot we don't know.“
The tornado is believed to be part of a storm system that caused suspected twisters across a wide area, including parts of Ohio and Kentucky, and was reported to have struck at around 8pm local time (midnight Japan time) on Thursday. Attacked the Winchesters.
(AP)
They destroyed a Walmart store and a Taco Bell in Winchester, and also damaged several homes.
Winchester Mayor Bob McCoy and his wife, who were hunkered down in a closet during the storm, said they were „shaken up.“
„It's overwhelming,“ he said. “I heard what sounded like a train and then I started hearing sirens.
„I've never heard that sound before. I never want to hear it again,“ McCoy said.
Authorities earlier said they were trying to confirm whether there were any deaths, but in a subsequent press conference, Carter said there were „no known deaths“ at this time.
Indiana Task Force 1 was called to assist with search efforts in Winchester, according to a rescue team post to X.
At about the same time that this tornado hit Winchester, another suspected twister touched down about 75 miles (120 km) to the east in Ohio.
The tornado struck near the south end of Indian Lake and affected the villages of Lakeview and Russell's Point, said Sheri Timmers, spokeswoman for Logan County, where the villages are located.
„As far as we know, we have a number of injured people. We don't know the extent of the injuries,“ Timmers said. “The RV park was affected.”
The Ohio Governor's Office said it does not have information on the number of deaths in the state.
Jefferson County Sheriff Ben Flint said the storm destroyed three or four single-family homes and four or five other structures, as well as several unoccupied campers along the river.
„We were lucky that no one was injured,“ Flint said.
Additional reporting by agency