At least 10 injured as tornadoes rip through Iowa
Tornadoes touched down in central Iowa, displacing families, hospital patients and causing destruction across multiple counties.
At least 10 people were injured and sent to the hospital. They were later released after suffering minor injuries, police said.
Injuries were reported at the Vermeer Corporation facilities in Pella, according to Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Seven people were sent to the hospital with minor injuries and have all since checked out of the hospital.
The city of Marshalltown declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon after reports of tornadoes in the area, city officials told ABC News.
UnityPoint hospital said a tornado damaged a portion of its facility in Marshalltown. Forty patients had to be moved to other hospitals in the area, UnityPoint Health spokeswoman Amy Varcoe told ABC News. Ten patients who suffered injuries as a result of the tornadoes were treated by hospital staff, but the extent of those injuries was unclear, officials said.
The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning Thursday afternoon for eastern Marshall County and southwestern Tama County.
At 4:37 p.m. local time, a "large and destructive" tornado was observed over Marshalltown, about 50 miles northeast of Des Moines, moving at an estimated 25 mph, the National Weather Service said.
A large tornado was also reported on the ground in Bondurant in Polk County. Emergency services were on scene, and at least six homes were severely damaged, including roofs blown off and gas leaks, Lt. Rick Blaylock of the Polk County Sheriff's Department told ABC News.
About 15,000 customers were without power early Friday morning, an Alliant Energy spokesperson told ABC News.
There may also be communication issues because a large wireless company in the area, Racom, was been hit, according to Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds posted on Twitter that she's praying for all those impacted by the tornadoes.
