Town razed to the ground as tornadoes ravage US Midwest

An unknown number of people are dead after a powerful tornado ripped through a small Iowa town.

Dramatic images show the destruction left behind in Greenfield, with police confirming there were deaths and at least a dozen injured, without being able to provide precise figures.

The devastation came as multiple tornadoes ripped through the US Midwest.

At least three 250-foot-tall wind turbines toppled by apparent tornado in the Southwest Iowa.

A turbine was on fire, and black smoke was billowing from the curved structure.

Authorities said most of Greenfield, with a population of about 2,000, was destroyed, and rescue efforts continued to try to find survivors.

Buildings, including homes and businesses, were razed, trees torn to pieces and vehicles thrown into the streets, littered with piles of debris.

Sgt Alex Dinkla, spokesperson for the Iowa State Patrol, said, “This tornado devastated a good portion of this city.

“Unfortunately, we can confirm that there have been deaths. We are still counting at the moment.”

He said Greenfield Hospital was among the damaged buildings, meaning at least a dozen injured people had to be evacuated to other facilities.

Residents helped each other recover their belongings while trying to come to terms with what had happened.

Read more on Sky News:
Extreme weather conditions hitting different parts of the world
Four dead as severe storms sweep across Texas

Rogue Paxton said he took shelter in the basement of his home when the storm passed.

He told WOI-TV he thinks his family is lucky they didn’t lose their home.

“But not everyone is so happy, like my brother Cody, his house was just destroyed,” he said.

“Then you see all these people here helping each other.

“Everything will be fine because we’re together, but it’s going to be really, really hard. It’s a disaster.”

The storms follow days of extreme weather that ravaged much of the central United States.

High winds, large hail and tornadoes swept through parts of Oklahoma and Kansas Sunday evening, damaging homes and injuring two people.