Three dead in Ohio after storms, suspected tornadoes tear through Midwest

(NEW YORK) — Three people are dead in Lakeview, Ohio, after storms and suspected tornadoes ripped through the Midwest and the South Thursday night, according to Logan County officials.

Responders are still doing grid searches in Lakeview for potential victims, officials said Friday morning. Lakeview is about 70 miles northwest of Columbus.

At least 11 tornadoes were reported Thursday evening across six states: Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri and Texas.

In Winchester, Indiana, reported tornadoes left 38 people injured, including 12 people who were taken to hospitals, Mayor Bob McCoy said at a news conference Friday.

McCoy said they were “very lucky” no fatalities were reported.

“There are houses that are leveled,” he said. “It could’ve been really bad.”

Twenty-two homes were “possibly totally destroyed” and 110 houses are “badly damaged,” McCoy said.

Winchester is about 85 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

In Selma, Indiana, nearly half of the town’s structures have been damaged, according to the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency.

While the Indiana State Police said earlier there had been at least three fatalities in the state, at a press conference early Friday morning, Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said the information was not correct and no fatalities had been confirmed.

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