Ohio storm devastation: Homes are wiped out by killer tornadoes that have left at least three dead and decimated the Midwest

A cluster of tornadoes tore through three Midwestern states overnight, killing at least three people and injuring many more.

In the wake of severe storms Thursday evening, trails of destruction were left in parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas.

At least 40 people were injured and dozens of homes were damaged in one Indiana community. According to police, three people were killed.

Neighborhoods in eastern Indiana and western Ohio were extremely torn during the extreme weather events.

As the sun rose on Friday morning, it became clear that entire cities had been leveled and destroyed by the violent storm.

It appeared the Indian Lake area in Ohio’s Logan County, northwest of Columbus, was the hardest hit, with the villages of Lakeview and Russells Point destroyed. At least three people were killed, Sheriff Randy Dodds said.

The residents of Lakeside RV Park, in Lakeview, Ohio, were hit by a tornado on Thursday evening

Debris is visible through the window of a damaged home after heavy storms in Lakeview, Ohio

Emergency crews and residents will be out Friday morning around Winchester, Indiana, after severe weather hit the area Thursday evening. The roof of a Goodwill location on Indiana Highway 27 was torn off and the walls were shredded

Greg McDougle walks near debris on Friday, March 15, 2024, after the suspected tornado in Lakeview

Search crews entered neighborhoods blocked overnight by gas leaks and fallen trees and made a second pass into areas that were checked after dark immediately after the storm, Dodds said.

“Three people have been confirmed dead. We are working to identify the victims,” said a statement from Chief Deputy Joe Kopus of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office. Local reporting previously indicated that six people had been killed.

‘As far as we know we have a lot of injuries. We do not know the extent of the injuries,” said Timmers. ‘A camper place was hit.’

Images from the site have since emerged on social media showing the park left completely destroyed.

What’s left of campers lie twisted and broken along the side of the road, next to fallen trees.

The storms caused casualties, including deaths, and left many people without homes

Families and neighbors help each other clean up after a tornado hit the area in Indian Lake, Ohio

Debris is visible near a damaged home as a result of the extreme weather conditions that tore through the Midwest Thursday night and Friday morning

Blaine Schmidt holds his guitar at his damaged home after a heavy storm on Friday, March 15, 2024 in Lakeview, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Cars are damaged by heavy storms on Friday, March 15, 2024 in Winchester, Indiana. Severe storms with suspected tornadoes have damaged homes and businesses across the central United States. (Grace Hollars/The Indianapolis Star via AP)

The remains of a destroyed church are seen in Winchester, Ind., on Friday, March 15, 2024, after it was destroyed during a storm that hit the area Thursday evening. (AP Photo/Isabella Volmert)

The remains of a destroyed church are seen in Winchester, Ind., on Friday, March 15, 2024, after it was destroyed during a storm that hit the area Thursday evening. (AP Photo/Isabella Volmert)

“There’s a lot we don’t know yet,” said Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter, confirming that police initially reported the three deaths.

Just ten miles west of Logan County, the city of Winchester, Indiana, was left devastated when a tornado devastated the community around 8 p.m. Thursday, leveling buildings and leaving residents with “significant injuries.”

According to Sheriff Art Moystner, the storm damaged a Walmart and a Taco Bell in Winchester.

The Randolph County Homeland Security Emergency Management Agency confirmed that 38 people were injured in Winchester, with 12 hospitalized.

About 17 miles west of Winchester, the small town of Selma saw half of its buildings severely damaged by a possible tornado.

“We are relieved to report that only minor injuries have been reported to date, with one person transported to the hospital for treatment,” the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency said in a news release.

Homes and businesses were damaged after an overnight severe storm on Friday, March 15, 2024 in Winchester, Indiana. Severe storms with suspected tornadoes have damaged homes and businesses across the central United States. (Grace Hollars/The Indianapolis Star via AP)

Images from the site have since emerged on social media showing the park left completely destroyed

What’s left of campers lie twisted and broken along the side of the road, next to fallen trees

The Winchester government announced on social media that a tornado was on the ground and moving at 40 miles per hour

About 2,000 Duke Energy customers in Hanover, Indiana, lost power at some point during the storm, the company reported

Homes and caravans in Hanover and Lamb were also damaged by the storms.

In Milton, Kentucky, two people were injured when their car was struck by debris from a tornado that damaged as many as 100 homes and businesses, said Trimble County Emergency Management Director Andrew Stark.

In Arkansas, a likely tornado struck the retirement community of Hot Springs Village, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Little Rock, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Erik Green.

Baseball sized hail also fell and some buildings were destroyed, but there were no reports of deaths or injuries, Green said.

There were reports of tornadoes in Jefferson County, Missouri, and Monroe County, Illinois.

Severe weather was forecast for parts of the South on Friday, with the possibility of damaging winds and isolated tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service.

A state of emergency was declared in Kentucky just after noon on Friday by the state’s governor, Andy Beshear, the Weather Channel reported.

“We have significant damage to a number of structures, particularly in Milton, Trimble County. Fortunately, every report we have received so far indicates no fatalities and only a few minor injuries – and that is the most important thing,” Beshear said in a news release.