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Tornado Leaves Path of Destruction Through SE South Dakota

The tornado was spotted 5 miles northeast of Woonsocket, South Dakota, according to The Weather Channel.
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A tornado tore through a small town in southeastern South Dakota on Wednesday night, destroying businesses and homes and injuring at least one person.

The twister hit Wessington Springs just before 8 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

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Lindsey Meyers, director of communications for Avera Health, said one person was brought to the town’s hospital in good condition. She said her company’s hospital and nursing home in Wessington Springs suffered only minor damage, including some broken windows.

Images from the scene showed a large metal-sided building flattened near the Amkota Farm & Home Center, with debris strewn along the street. Other photos showed debris from houses scattered through neighborhoods.

NBC station KDLT of Mitchell, S.D., reported that local officials said all residents had been accounted for.

Image: Tornado damage in Wessington Springs, S.D.
A tornado and surrounding damage in Wessington Springs, S.D. on June 18.Ethan Mulnix / @Tornadochaser91 via Twitter

Gov. Dennis Daugaard activated 100 soldiers from the South Dakota National Guard to assist in the response.

Wessington Springs was hit June 23, 2003, by a tornado that caused significant damage. The town is about 50 miles by road northwest of Mitchell.

Another tornado was spotted near Woonsocket, about 15 miles east of Wessington Springs.

Image: Tornado passes near Woonsocket, S.D.
A tornado passes near Woonsocket, S.D., Wednesday evening.David Patterson

Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms remained possible overnight, mainly across parts of southeastern South Dakota into southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, the National Weather Service reported.

— Becky Bratu