Tornado killed two-year-old in bed in Livonia, Michigan. Image credit:BBC
A two-year-old child has been killed by a tree while sleeping with other siblings as tornado struck their home in a city of Livonia, Michigan, on Wednesday afternoon.
According to Michigan Fire officials, the two-year-old child was confirmed dead after a tree fell into a home during a tornado, hitting on the sleeping child.
A crew of 25 firefighters used chainsaws to cut away roof and branches in order to lift the tree using high-pressure airbags, the BBC said.
According to Livonia Fire Chief, Robert Johnson, a two-week old in a crib and the children’s grandmother also were inside the home, but were not harmed by the fallen tree which wrecked the house roof.
Speaking, in a statement, Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan said this was “terrible tragedy” for the city of Livonia.
“when a quick-developing tornado struck several Livonia neighborhoods” around 15:30EDT (20:30BST)
“This is a terrible tragedy for our community,” said Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan. “Our hearts are broken, too, and we send our deepest sympathies.”
The tornado uprooted a “massive tree”, according to the city’s statement, which landed on the bed where a mother and child were sleeping.
The Fire officials said the child was found dead at the scene, while crews worked for nearly an hour in order to reach the family.
“We also thank all the caring neighbors who worked hard to clear trees and assist our firefighters and officers on the scene,” Mayor Brosnan.
According to the statement, Livonia “was not informed on time enough ” and has not “did not received advance warning” from the National Weather Service (NWS).
“A representative from the NWS called it a spin-up storm which didn’t show up on their radars in enough time to issue a warning,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, a separate tornado struck at least two homes about 500 miles (800km) from Livonia, in the Maryland suburbs north of Washington DC, the BBC also.
A pokesman for the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service, Pete Piringer, explained the situation during the rescue operation, including another area struck by Tornado.
On his X social handle, Piringer wrote that four people in one were rescued, including one who was “pinned and removed via Technical Rescue Team.”
A “large tree,” also at another home in the city of Gaithersburg, according to him,” fell on the house with 1 occupant trapped inside”.
