Tornado slams Iowa, leaving at least 6 dead

DES MOINES, Iowa－At least six people were killed when a tornado swept through central Iowa on Saturday, damaging buildings and knocking down trees and power lines, authorities said.

Emergency management officials in Madison County said four people were injured in addition to those killed when the tornado touched down in the area southwest of Des Moines at about 4:30 pm. Among those killed were two children and four adults.

"This is, I think, the worst that anyone has seen in quite a long time," said Diogenes Ayala, director of the Madison County Emergency Management Agency.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for Madison County that allows state resources to be used to assist with recovery.

The National Weather Service in Des Moines said initial photos and videos from the damage around the community of Winterset suggested it was at least an EF-3 tornado, capable of causing severe damage, on the Enhanced Fujita scale.

It said weather service teams would investigate the damage on Sunday and further assess a potential rating.

Thunderstorms that spawned tornadoes moved through much of Iowa from the afternoon until Saturday night with storms also causing damage in the Des Moines suburb of Norwalk, areas just east of Des Moines and other areas of eastern Iowa.

Officials reported a number of homes were damaged, roads were blocked by downed lines and tree branches were shredded by the strong winds. Photos on social media showed downed trees, debris and damaged roofs and vehicles. At one point power outages affected about 10,000 in the Des Moines area.

In December, dozens of devastating tornadoes ripped through five US states overnight, leaving at least 79 people dead in Kentucky－with deaths also recorded in Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois.

Agencies via Xinhua