Authorities in Ohio said severe weather in the state on Thursday turned deadly, with at least two people confirmed dead in the Buckeye State as of Friday morning.
Logan County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Joe Kopus confirmed the deaths to The Associated Press, saying the fatal storm left heavy property damage in Bellefontaine, Lakeview, Midway, Orchard Island and Russel’s Point. Witness accounts of at least five tornadoes were reported in Northern Ohio, FOX Weather reported.
According to Sheri Timmers, a spokesperson for Logan County, the suspected tornado left multiple buildings in the Indian Lake area damaged and multiple residents are believed to have suffered various injuries.
“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.”
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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 )
Nearly 20,000 electrical outages were reported across Ohio, according to PowerOutage.us.
In Huron County, emergency management officials warned of a “confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado” near Plymouth.
As the suspected tornado ripped through Ohio, another suspected twister 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.”
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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.”
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 AP. “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.”
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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.
“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.
Storms also damaged homes and trailers in Hanover and Lamb.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
