Large and 'extremely dangerous' tornado rips through Chicago suburbs, injuring at least six and leaving more than 34,000 without power
- A large and 'extremely dangerous' tornado has ripped through Chicago suburbs
- The tornado touched down near Woodridge in Illinois, causing damage
- More than 34,000 customers were without power due to thunderstorms
A large and 'extremely dangerous' tornado has ripped through Chicago suburbs overnight.
The severe weather has injured at least six people and left 34,000 without power.
Thunderstorms tore through the Chicago area on Sunday night after the National Weather Service said that a 'confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado' had touched down near Woodridge, a village in Illinois, causing damage to the area.
A street sign is bent over in Woodbridge, Illinois, Monday, June 21, after the National Weather Service said a tornado was confirmed on radar on Sunday night
A fence is damaged in Woodridge, Illinois, Monday, June 21, after the National Weather Service said a tornado was confirmed on radar on Sunday night
Chicago-area utility Commonwealth Edison's (ComEd) website showed that more than 34,000 customers were without power as the thunderstorms swept through.
The tornado touched down near route 53/75th street in Woodridge, DuPage County, around 11pm ET on Sunday.
About a dozen homes were damaged, and four people were rushed to area hospitals with minor injuries, CBS Chicago reported.
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A CBS Chicago reporter tweeted that six people were injured in total and some residents were evacuated to nearby shelters.
The website of ComEd, a unit of Exelon Corp, showed more than 14,000 customers were without power in the DuPage County alone in Illinois while over 15,000 customers were in the dark in Cook County.
'The severe threat has diminished/ended for most of the Chicago metro area. Severe T-storm Watch remains in effect for a bit longer for Will, Kankakee, Ford, Iroquois, and northwest Indiana counties,' NWS Chicago said on Twitter.
Images shared on Twitter show vehicles damaged by the tornado in Woodridge, Illinois
Damage caused by the tornado that ripped through Woodridge, Illinois on Sunday evening
The tornado touched down near route 53/75th street in Woodridge, DuPage County, around 11pm ET on Sunday
Several injuries were also reported by public officials in nearby Naperville, where the storm also caused gas leakages.
According to trained weather spotters, storm and tree damage was also reported in Plainfield, Oak Park and Addison.
It comes as eight children in a van from a youth home for abused or neglected children were killed in a fiery multi-vehicle crash on a wet interstate that also killed a man and his baby in another vehicle, the most devastating blow from a tropical depression that claimed 12 lives in Alabama as it caused flash floods and spurred tornadoes that destroyed dozens of homes.
The crash happened Saturday about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Montgomery on Interstate 65 after vehicles likely hydroplaned on wet roads, said Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock.
The van, containing children ages 4 to 17, belonged to the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch, a youth home operated by the Alabama Sheriffs Association.
Michael Smith, the youth ranches CEO, said the van was heading back to the ranch near Camp Hill, northeast of Montgomery, after a week at the beach in the Gulf Shores. It caught fire after the wreck and Candice Gulley, the ranch director, was the van's only survivor - pulled from the flames by a bystander.
