A tornado struck Madison County in the US state of Iowa on Saturday, killing four adults and two children, according to officials.
At least four other adults were injured in the tornado, which caused “widespread damage to both homes and properties,” according to the county’s emergency management director.
“This is, I believe, the worst I’ve seen in a long time,” Diogenes Ayala said. “This will have long-term consequences.”
At 7:30 p.m. (0130 GMT Sunday), the National Weather Service in Des Moines tweeted, “The worst is over for central Iowa.”
“Storms are forming to the east. West of the line, including the Des Moines metro, is unaffected.”
On Sunday, NWS said its survey teams would thoroughly investigate the damage.
“This is pretty devastating for our community,” Ayala said, adding that rescue efforts would continue throughout the night.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for Madison County, authorising the use of state resources to aid in recovery.
“Our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by the deadly storms that ripped through our state today,” Reynolds said in a statement.
Hundreds of tornadoes ripped through five US states overnight in December, killing at least 79 people in Kentucky alone, with fatalities also reported in Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois.
