Multiple dead, damage after Ohio tornado warnings

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Multiple deaths have been reported after a series of storms and possible tornadoes Thursday night ripped through parts of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

The first tornado warnings in Ohio were issued about 8:30 p.m. and continued through 10:15, connected to storms with strong winds and unconfirmed tornadoes. Three people in Logan County have been confirmed killed, according to the Logan County Coroner’s Office, and clean-up efforts will begin in earnest Friday.

‘Mass casualty event’

Reports came in Thursday of a “mass casualty event” from Logan County Emergency Management Agency, with numerous trees downed and homes damaged. Police in Washington Township confirmed deaths from Lakewood, Midway and Orchard Island.

A spokesperson with Mary Rutan Hospital in Bellefontaine said the hospital had seen 19 patients in its emergency room with weather-related injuries. All the injuries were bone fractures and concussions.

Ohio’s Delaware County was hit hardest in terms of power outages, and there was severe damage to people’s property due to lightning, downed power lines and fallen trees.

Sheriff Tracy Whited confirmed several roads were closed due to storm damage, particularly in Berlin Township, Berkshire Township and the Village of Galena.

‘Significant injuries’ in Indiana

The Indiana State Police said there were “many significant injuries” after a tornado tore through the community of Winchester.

“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 reporters just before midnight Thursday. “There’s a lot that we don’t know yet.”

Earlier in the night, state police said they were investigating reports of deaths but at the news conference Carter said there were “no known fatalities.”

State officials called on Indiana Task Force One to help with search efforts in Winchester, a town of 4,700 people located nearly 70 miles northeast of Indianapolis, according to a post by the rescue team on X. The team is one of 28 Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency-sponsored Urban Search and Rescue teams in the United States.

“I’m shaken; it’s overwhelming,” Winchester Mayor Bob McCoy said. “I heard what sounded like a train and then I started hearing sirens.”

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security posted on Facebook that their staff are on scene in Randolph County, home to Winchester, working with locals and that the State Emergency Operations Center has been activated to an enhanced staffing level to respond to the storm.

A Facebook post on the Winchester Community High School page said all the schools in that school district would be closed on Friday. Another post said the high school had electricity and was open for emergency use for people who “need somewhere warm and dry.”

Large pieces of hail also was reported in parts of the St. Louis area Thursday afternoon.

There were unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Jefferson County, Missouri, and Monroe County, Illinois, but no immediate reports of damage.

Kentucky storm damage

In Kentucky, Trimble County Emergency Management Director Andrew Stark said the storms damaged at least 50 structures, including homes.

“We have a whole bunch of damage,” Stark told the Courier Journal of Louisville.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear issued a statement saying a tornado touched down along the Indiana state border in Gallatin and Trimble counties and there were reports of a couple of minor injuries. He urged Kentuckians to stay aware of the weather as more storms were expected across the state Thursday evening and overnight.

“It does appear that there is some really significant damage, especially to the town of Milton in Trimble County,” Beshear said. “We think there are over 100 structures that are potentially damaged.”

The state’s emergency operations center was activated to coordinate storm response, Beshear said.

Severe weather was possible into Thursday night from northeast Texas to Indiana and Ohio, the National Weather Service said on X.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.