At Least 7 Dead In Iowa Tornadoes: Officials

WINTERSET, IA — Seven people were killed as several tornadoes moved through central Iowa on Saturday night, officials said.

Six people were killed near Winterset by a tornado that touched at approximately 4:30 p.m., including two children under the age of five, with four others injured. One of those injured was taken to a Des Moines hospital with life-threatening injuries, and the other three are in serious condition, Madison County authorities said at a news conference early Sunday.

An emergency shelter has been set up in New Bridge Church in Winterset. Carver Road is shut down from Pammel Park Trail to Highway 169 as emergency responders and clean up crews work in the aftermath of the storms, according to authorities.

Another person was killed and several others injured in Lucas County from a tornado that formed a little less than an hour following the first one, authorities said.

The storms caused a power outage that affected nearly 10,000 customers in the Des Moines area. By late Sunday morning, that number was down to just over 1,500 in the state, according to poweroutage.us.

Early reports from the National Weather Service in Iowa indicate that at least three thunderstorms produced tornadoes Saturday, with the Winterset tornado likely rising to at least EF3 damage.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.