At least one person died and another suffered serious injuries when a suspected tornado crashed into a large property in southern Indiana.
First responders labored for hours to carve a path through dense forest to enable the movement of rescue equipment into the Lost River Township.
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“You can't get anywhere into that area. Our people are having to cut their way in,” Melisa Sorrells, communications commander for the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, said. “We have a huge debris field. We have multiple injuries, and everybody's out taking care of that. … We have multiple power lines down in that area at this time.”
Firefighters later confirmed that one person was found dead at the scene. A second person was seriously injured and transferred to the hospital.
County officials have not identified victims or provided detailed casualty information. Sorrells said the sheriff’s office would release more information Monday.
A Lost River firefighter confirmed one person died before he arrived at the scene, and another person had serious injuries requiring hospitalization.
Crews were still working into the late evening Sunday to remove debris from roads and restore power knocked out by the storm. Dozens of downed trees blocked traffic for hours until they could be cut and piled up off the road.
Storms caused damage in several other parts of Indiana on Sunday.
A tornado hit Johnson County but no deaths or serious injuries were reported.
Officials with the Bargersville Fire Department say the tornado touched down in the area of Center Grove High School around 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Officials say structure damage was spread over a three-mile area. At least 75 homes were moderately or severely damaged, including an apartment complex under construction.
Thousands of homes lost power in the area, but electricity was restored to more than half of them by Sunday evening.
The Bargersville Police Department also implemented a curfew Sunday from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday morning. They urged people to stay away from the damaged areas, which included downed power lines and other hazards.
The Red Cross set up an emergency shelter at Greenwood Middle School.
This is the second tornado to hit Johnson County this year.
Lee Gaines contributed to this report.