Tornado, April 11: A tornado has ripped through a town in the west of US state of Iowa, wreaking havoc on more than half of the city and displacing at least 400 people, officials say.
The cyclone roared through Mapleton, a town of 1,200 in western Iowa on Saturday night with speeds of more than 100 miles per hour, destroying 12 to 15 blocks in the southwest corner of the town, the Associated Press reported on Sunday.
Nobody has been killed in the incident, but Iowa Mayor Fred Standa estimated that about 20 percent of the town was “almost flat” while about 60 percent of the houses were completely destroyed.
Authorities say 14 to 16 people have been slightly injured in the incident, and two were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.
About 100 homes were destroyed and 500 to 600 residents displaced, said Monona County Sheriff Jeff Pratt.
The official also stated that many power lines went down and utilities were also damaged, causing gas fumes to fill the town and forcing authorities to shut off service.
According to the US National Weather Service, the storm was one of the several reported, including four smaller hurricanes that struck down near the towns of Early and Nemaha, and damaged several homes.
The weather service said another round of thunderstorms could hit the region.
——–Agencies