Tornadoes kill at least three in Ohio, with twisters also battering Kentucky and Indiana: Terrifying new video shows twin funnels barreling along the side of road

At least three people have been killed in Ohio following devastating tornadoes which also battered Indiana, Kentucky and Arkansas.

Dozens of people have been left injured, with a 'mass casualty event' declared at Mary Rutan Hospital in Logan County, where two of the deaths were recorded. All three deaths took place in Ohio and it is feared the toll could climb dramatically as the clear-up operation begins. 

A desperate hunt for survivors began again this morning, after homes were levelled and buildings collapsed during the powerful storms on Thursday. 

Officials fear the death toll could rise further as the true extent of the damage becomes known. 

Terrifying footage shows a double vortex twister ripping along the side of the road near the Ohio city of Vanlue.

 Terrifying footage from shows a double vortex twister ripping along the side of the road near the Ohio city of Vanlue

An overhead shot taken 8am Friday in Medway, Ohio, shows the scene of devastation after a tornado ripped through a mobile home community 

Another image clearly shows the path of the tornado, which destroyed multiple homes but left others nearby relatively-unscathed 

At least three people have been killed in Ohio following devastating tornadoes which also battered Indiana , Kentucky and Arkansas. Pictured: Debris from severe storms scatters the ground in Lakeview, OH

Officials warned the death toll could rise further as the hunt for survivors resumed on Friday

The storms ripped through the Midwest on Thursday. Pictured: Damage from a severe weather system is seen in Lakeview, Ohio,

Meanwhile in Cleveland, the National Weather Service warned of a 'very serious' tornado half a mile wide tearing through the city.

A number of buildings in Lakeview were destroyed, Amber Fagan, the president and chief executive of the Indian Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, told ABC 6 news.

'It's pure devastation,' she said.

'I have never seen anything like this in my entire life. Our Lakeview municipal building is demolished. Our laundromat is gone. The old plastics building is just completely demolished. Downtown, it's bad.'

The tornado touched down near the southern end of Indian Lake, impacting the villages of Lakeview and Russells Point, said Sheri Timmers, a spokesperson for Logan County, home to the villages.

Tens of thousands of Midwesterners were left without power, with around 20,000 people in Ohio still off grid as of Friday morning.

In Indiana, dozens were injured after a tornado hit the towns of Winchester and Selma, but no deaths have been reported, police said.

'There have been many many significant injuries but I don´t know the number, I don't know where they are. I don't know what those injuries are,' Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter told reporters at a news conference.

Tornado movement seen in  St Charles Missouri on Thursday

Crews work to clean up after a tornado touched down on Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Milton, Kentucky

A Walmart is closed to the community after overnight severe storms leaving extensive damage Friday, March 15, 2024, in Winchester, Indiana 

He described the storms as a 'terrible, terrible event' and said that some buildings and homes had been completely destroyed in Winchester where a trailer park had been left decimated.

He added that work will begin in the morning to find if people were still trapped in those buildings.

The Indiana Task Force 1 would assist in the search and rescue process and the police will come back with an update on Friday morning, Carter added.

The National Weather Service had earlier said that it could not confirm that a tornado touched down in Winchester, but that it was 'likely' judging by the damage and images taken by people on the ground.

In Jefferson County, Sgt. Stephen Wheeles of the Indiana State Police said on social media that 'Multiple homes are damaged, with trees and power lines down' following a reported hurricane.

He shared photos of the devastation, including massive hail which fell across the county. 

The storms were part of a night of violent weather that stretched from northeast Texas to Ohio and saw 13 million people were placed under weather warnings

Debris covers the ground in front of a damaged home after severe weather passed the area on Thursday, March 14, 2024 in Jefferson Manor Subdivision near Hanover, Indiana

 Dozens of people were left injured in Indiana after homes were flattened and buildings collapsed

Matt True, director of the emergency management agency in Jefferson County, told the Washington Post at least two tornadoes had appeared to touch down there, damaging 29 homes and injuring two people.

'This one popped out of nowhere. There was no warning,' he said.

The storms ripped across the Ohio River and into Kentucky's Trimble County, ripping the rooves of up to 30 homes.

No injuries were reported, but 85 percent of homes were left without power on Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Arkansas was rocked by violent storms overnight which caused widespread damage and plunged 8,000 people into darkness on Friday night.

Hot Springs was one of the worst affected areas, with locals waking up to find damage as well as people's possessions strewn across the streets.

Parts of the state were also issued flash flood warnings, with an inch an hour falling in Little Rock last night. 

Tornado movement was also seen in the skies above Missouri, after an early spring severe weather system moved through far eastern Kansas and western Missouri causing several' supercell thunderstorms' to produce large hail up to two inches in diameter across the Kansas City Metro area.

The storms were part of a night of violent weather that stretched from northeast Texas to Ohio and saw 13 million people were placed under weather warnings.