Three people have died in fierce storms that made their way through Ohio and several other states Thursday night.
The three deaths were reported in Logan County, northwest of Columbus.
“3 people have been confirmed dead. We are working on identifying the victims,” Chief Deputy Joe Kopus of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The storms, which damaged homes and businesses and spawned probable tornadoes, also swept through Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas.
Officials also said that there were “many, many significant injuries” following a suspected tornado in Winchester, Ind., with searches being conducted in the town of 4.700 about 70 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
“I’m shaken; it’s overwhelming,” Winchester Mayor Bob McCoy said. “I heard what sounded like a train, and then I started hearing sirens.”
In a late Thursday post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said he was sending his “deepest condolences & prayers to the loved ones of those impacted by tonight’s storms & the Hoosiers in the path of destruction.”
“The people of Winchester are resilient & should know the state will walk alongside & support them as we pick up the pieces & rebuild,” Holcomb added.
The National Weather Service on Thursday had predicted the possibility of “isolated instances of large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes” in the region “from the Southern Plains northeastward through the Middle Mississippi Valley/Mid-South and into the Ohio Valley.”
The Associated Press contributed.