Storms in mid-U.S. kill at least 8

Severe thunderstorms packing large hail and tornadoes rumbled across the nation’s midsection Sunday, killing at least eight people and damaging dozens of homes, authorities said.

Iowa Homeland Security administrator David L. Miller said seven of the dead were killed by a tornado in northeast Iowa -- five from Parkersburg, 80 miles northeast of Des Moines, and two from nearby New Hartford. At least 50 injuries were reported.

“Occasionally we have a death, but we have warning system. Seven deaths. It’s been a long time since we’ve had those kinds of injuries and deaths reported,” Miller said.

Witnesses reported that parts of Parkersburg -- particularly the town’s south side -- were reduced to rubble, including most of the town’s high school and homes.

A tornado also struck just to the east in the nearby town of Dunkerton and elsewhere in Black Hawk County, where there were reports of homes damaged or destroyed.

At least 20 people were unaccounted for in Minnesota after a swift storm blew through the St. Paul suburb of Hugo, damaging about four dozen homes, City Administrator Michael Ericson said. Many of them might be out of town for the holiday weekend, he said.

A 2-year-old child was killed and the child’s sibling was critically injured and taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Washington County Sheriff William M. Hutton said. The children’s parents also were hospitalized with injuries sustained in the family home.

Residents reported a tornado touching down in the area, but that had not been confirmed by the National Weather Service. Emergency crews descended on the town to look for those who had not been accounted for and to assess the damage.

About 100 people have died in U.S. twisters this year, the worst toll in a decade, according to the weather service.