A U.S. couple had a lucky escape this week after a deadly tornado ripped their house from its foundation and tossed it 50 feet away, says a media report. .Luckily for Bob and Laurel Hanson, they were not at their home in Albert Lea, Minnesota, as the storm tore through the area.They had sought refuge in the town after hearing that a tornado had levelled houses to the south.
At least two people were killed and dozens more injured as tornadoes ripped across the state on Thursday night, flattening homes and toppling trees.
Bob and Laurel Hanson survey the damage after their house, in the background was torn from its foundation, in the foreground, and tossed about 50 feet away by a tornado tearing through Minnesota. A large funnel cloud touches down west of Albert Lea, the town where Bob and Laurel Hanson's live, early Thursday night.
Some of the hardest-hit areas were in the northwest part of the state, where both deaths were reported.Emergency vehicles struggled to reach victims amid the debris of downed power lines and destroyed buildings.
Otter Tail County Emergency spokesman David Hauser said an elderly woman was killed when a tornado wiped out her home in Almora, a small town of about 20 people.
Brittney Schulke of Almora told The Daily Journal that her grandmother, Margie Schulke, was killed and that her grandfather, Norman Schulke, suffered two broken shoulders.Debris including shingles and pieces of buildings littered the town.
Several large trees were uprooted.In Mentor, a man was killed when a twister destroyed the Cenex gas station, the Polk County sheriff's office said.
Three other people were hurt.Heavy damage also was reported in Wadena, a town of about 4,300, where a tornado was confirmed about 5 p.m., said National Weather Service meteorologist Greg Gust.The governor of Minnesota is due to visit the area today.
Watch the tornado video 1,Video 2,Video 3
