Strong storms spawn several Iowa tornadoes; workers hurt after factory hit

Multiple funnel clouds formed this afternoon as powerful storms passed over the Central Plains.

The hardest hit was suburban Des Moines, Iowa, where two tornadoes developed at the same time near Marshalltown and several workers were injured when a twister hit the Vermeer Corp. plant in Pella.

Pella Police Lt. Shane Cox told KCCI-TV, a CBS affiliate, that he didn’t know the extent of injuries or the number of people hurt at the facility, which manufacturers industrial and agricultural equipment. He said crews were working to get inside the building.

Tornado on the ground in Iowa A tornado on the ground in Iowa during a storm outbreak on Thursday, July 19, 2018.

According to reports, there was metal torn from the building that landed across the parking lot, where overturned cars were piled.

According to the National Weather Service, the historic Marshall County Courhouse’s tower was damaged by the tornado, which also toppled numerous trees and overturned cars there.

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