Ohio storm devastation: Homes are wiped out by killer tornadoes that have left at least three dead and decimated the Midwest

A cluster of tornadoes swept through three midwestern states overnight leaving at least three people dead and many more injured.

Trails of destruction were left in the wake of severe storms on Thursday night across parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas. 

At least 40 people were injured and dozens of homes damaged in one Indiana community. Three people have been confirmed dead, according to police. 

Neighborhoods in eastern Indiana and western Ohio were extremely torn up during the extreme weather conditions. 

It became apparent as the sun rose on Friday morning that entire towns were flattened and destroyed by the savage storm.

It appeared the worst hit was the Indian Lake area in Ohio's Logan County, northwest of Columbus, with the villages of Lakeview and Russells Point devastated. At least three people died, said Sheriff Randy Dodds.

Debris scatters the ground following a severe storm in Lakeview, Ohio

The occupants of Lakeside RV Park, in Lakeview, Ohio, were hit by a tornado on Thursday evening

Debris is visible through the window of a damaged home following the severe storms Lakeview, Ohio 

Emergency crews and residents pick up around Winchester, Indiana, Friday morning after severe weather hit the area Thursday night. The roof of a Goodwill location off of Indiana Highway 27 was torn off and its walls were shredde

Greg McDougle walks near debris on Friday, March 15, 2024, following the suspected tornado in Lakeview

Search crews went into neighborhoods that had been blocked by gas leaks and fallen trees overnight and made a second pass in areas that were checked in the darkness right after the storm, Dodds said.

'Three people have been confirmed dead. We are working on identifying the victims,' said a statement from Chief Deputy Joe Kopus of the Logan County Sheriff's Office. Local reporting earlier indicated six people had died. 

'As far as we know, we have lots of injuries. We don't know the extent of the injuries,' Timmers said. 'An RV park was impacted.' 

Images of the site has since emerged on social media showing the park left completely devastated. 

What is left of campervans is seen twisted and broken at the side of the road, alongside ripped down trees. 

The storms caused casualties, resulting in deaths, and left many people without homes

Families and neighbors help each other clean up after a tornado struck the area in Indian Lake, Ohio

Debris is visible near a damaged home following the extreme weather conditions that tore through the Midwest on Thursday night and Friday morning

Blaine Schmidt holds his guitar near his damaged home following a severe storm Friday, March 15, 2024, in Lakeview, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Cars are damaged from severe storms Friday, March 15, 2024, in Winchester, Ind. Severe storms with suspected tornadoes have damaged homes and businesses in the central United States. (Grace Hollars/The Indianapolis Star via AP)

The remains of a destroyed church are seen in Winchester, Ind., on Friday, March 15, 2024, after it was destroyed in a storm that hit the area Thursday night. (AP Photo/Isabella Volmert)

The remains of a destroyed church are seen in Winchester, Ind., on Friday, March 15, 2024, after it was destroyed in a storm that hit the area Thursday night. (AP Photo/Isabella Volmert)

'There's a lot that we don't know yet,' Indiana state police superintendent, Doug Carter said, confirming that the police had initially reported the three deaths. 

Just ten miles west of Logan County, the town of Winchester, Indiana, was left devastated when a tornado lashed that community around 8pm on Thursday, leaving buildings flattened and residents with 'significant injuries.'

The storm damaged a Walmart and a Taco Bell in Winchester, according to Sheriff Art Moystner.

The Randolph County Homeland Security Emergency Management Agency confirmed that 38 people were injured in Winchester with 12 being hospitalized. 

About 17 miles to the West of Winchester, the small town of Selma saw half of its buildings damaged badly by a possible tornado. 

'We are relieved to report that only minor injuries have been reported thus far, with one individual transported to the hospital for treatment,' the Delaware County Emergency Management Agency said in a news release. 

Homes and business are damaged after an overnight severe storm Friday, March 15, 2024, in Winchester, Ind. Severe storms with suspected tornadoes have damaged homes and businesses in the central United States. (Grace Hollars/The Indianapolis Star via AP)

Images of the site has since emerged on social media showing the park left completely devastated

What is left of campervans is seen twisted and broken at the side of the road, alongside ripped down trees

Winchester's government announced on social media that a tornado was on the ground and moving at 40mph

Around 2,000 Duke Energy customers in Hanover, Indiana, lost power at one point during the storms, the company reported

Homes and trailers in Hanover and Lamb were also damaged by the storms.  

In Milton, Kentucky, two people were injured when their car was hit by debris from a tornado that damaged as many as 100 homes and businesses, said Trimble County Emergency Management Director Andrew Stark.

In Arkansas, a probable tornado struck the retirement community of Hot Springs Village, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Little Rock, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Erik Green.

Baseball-sized hail also fell and some buildings were destroyed, but there were no reports of fatalities or injuries, Green said.

There were reports of tornadoes in Jefferson County, Missouri, and Monroe County, Illinois.

More severe weather was forecast Friday for parts of the South, with the possibility of damaging winds and isolated tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service.

A state of emergency was declared in Kentucky just after midday on Friday by the state's governor Andy Beshear, the Weather Channel reported.

'We have significant damage to a number of structures, especially in Milton, in Trimble County. Though, thankfully, every report we have received, up until now, indicates there have been no fatalities and only a couple of minor injuries – and that is the most important thing,' Beshear said in a press release.