Tornadoes hit central US states

Several tornadoes hit central US states of Iowa and Nebraska Friday evening, causing considerable property damage, media reports said.

One tornado occurred in the northeast Nebraska town of Wayne at about 6.30 p.m. EDT (10.30 GMT). Several people were trapped in a building there, Xinhua reported.

According to local weather service, the tornado destroyed a farm house, but it's unclear if anyone was in the house. Witnesses said a number of houses were destroyed south of Wayne county.

Meanwhile, at least two tornadoes, one of them a mile (1.6 km) wide, were reported near Iowa's Sioux City.

A "large and extremely dangerous" tornado was located near the town of Cherokee, Iowa, and moving northeast, the National Weather Service reported, urging local residents to take shelter immediately.

Witnesses also reported significant damage in the town of Moville, Iowa, where a second tornado estimated at a mile wide hit shortly before 8 p.m. EDT (1200 GMT).

The worst damage officials saw in the region was at Sioux Jerseys Dairy, which received heavy structural damage and a propane leak and has lost many cows.

No injuries had been immediately reported in Iowa, and the damage was still being assessed, local media said.

The National Weather Service said the tornadoes were part of a "supercell" storm system that moved into the Midwest after dumping almost 3 feet of snow on parts of Central states Wyoming and South Dakota.