Several people were killed as a result of a powerful tornado that struck the US state of Iowa. At least twelve people were also injured.

The small town of Greenfield was particularly hard hit. The town, with a population of about 2,000 people, was hit by several hurricanes and a large part of the city was destroyed. According to local police, emergency services are still searching for victims, so the death toll cannot be accurately determined.

A drone shows the massive damage to the Greenfield area. Many houses were completely destroyed, trees were uprooted, and windmills were destroyed:

Tornado damage was also reported in other parts of the state. In the capital, Des Moines, a wind turbine broke in half and caught fire. Debris was scattered in the streets of several cities.

The authorities have previously warned of the dangers of hurricanes and severe storms. That is why schools closed earlier as a precaution and public life stopped hours before the hurricanes.

The Midwest region of the United States has been experiencing severe weather for days. In Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, among other places, people were injured by high winds, tornadoes and hailstones the size of baseballs.

Iowa is part of so-called Tornado Alley: an area the size of about eight states in the United States where tornadoes occur regularly. Most of these hurricanes are not strong.

An average of about 1,000 tornadoes occur each year in the United States, especially in April, May, and June.