17 hurt after tornadoes strike central Iowa

Credit: Charlie Neibergall

Credit: Charlie Neibergall

At least 17 people are hurt after a series of tornadoes swept through central Iowa.

The towns of Marshalltown, Pella and Bondurant suffered extensive damage.

No deaths have been reported, according to the Des Moines Register.

Rod Donovan with the National Weather Service told the Associated Press that two primary storms spawned the series of tornadoes.

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One developed in the Marshalltown area while the other started east of Des Moines and traveled through Bondurant and into Pella.

Marshalltown, a town of 27,000 people, appears to have been hardest hit.

Several buildings collapsed, and the cupola of the town’s historic courthouse tumbled 175 feet from the ground.

In Pella, a tornado hit an agricultural machinery maker, where people were working at the time.

Credit: Rodney White

Credit: Rodney White

The storm scattered huge sheets of metal through a parking lot.

One building was left with a giant hole in it.

Seven people at the facility were treated for minor injuries.

The exact number of tornadoes and their strength will be determined later.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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