‘Many significant injuries’ as tornadoes rip through US Midwest

Police say a tornado has ripped through the rural Indiana community of Winchester, leaving many with “significant injuries” and officials struggling to confirm reports of multiple deaths.

“There have been 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 reporters on Thursday night. “There’s a lot that we don’t know yet.”

The tornado, which is believed to be part of a storm system that unleashed suspected twisters across a large area including parts of Ohio and Kentucky, hit Winchester at about 8pm local time on Thursday (midnight GMT).

It tore through 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 he was “shaken”.

“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 don’t want to hear it again,” Mr McCoy said.

Authorities earlier said they were trying to confirm any fatalities and later at a news conference Mr Carter said there were “no known fatalities” at this time.

Indiana Task Force One was called to help with search efforts in Winchester, according to a post by the rescue team on X.

Around the same time as this tornado hit Winchester, another suspected twister touched down about 75 miles (120km) to the east in Ohio.

The tornado hit near the southern end of Indian Lake, impacting the villages of Lakeview and Russells Point, said Sheri Timmers, a spokesperson for Logan County, home to the villages.

“As far as we know, we have lots of injuries. We don’t know the extent of the injuries,” Ms Timmers said. “An RV park was impacted.”

The Ohio governor’s office said they did not have any information about fatalities in the state.

Jefferson County Sheriff Ben Flint said the storm destroyed three or four single-family homes and four or five other structures and demolished several uninhabited campers along the river.

“We were fortunate that no one was injured,” Mr Flint said.

Additional reporting by agencies