- Tornado destroys Bunbury, south of Perth
A tornado devastated a town in Western Australia, two people were rushed to hospital and there are fears for dozens of children inside a youth center that has been demolished.
Up to 50 children were inside the Bunbury Police and Community Youth Center in Bunbury, about two hours south of Perth, when the storm hit on Friday afternoon.
Dramatic images from the scene show the collapsed roof and part of a wall badly damaged by the fierce winds.
At least six ambulances have been sent to the youth center and so far it has been confirmed that a woman in her 30s is injured. She was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A man was also taken to hospital from Bunbury Regional Prison, which was in the path of the tornado.
Dozens of children were inside the Bunbury Police and Community Youth Center when the storm hit on Friday afternoon.
Dramatic images from the scene show how the roof and part of a wall have been severely damaged by strong winds.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather alert for the area at 4.27pm, predicting storms with damaging winds and rain that could cause flash flooding.
“An injured prisoner has been taken to hospital after several housing blocks in the minimum security section of the prison were damaged,” a Justice Department spokeswoman said.
“Staff have secured the site and moved minimum security prisoners to other undamaged areas of the facility.”
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services first reported that a tornado had hit Bunbury at around 4 p.m.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather alert for the area at 4:27 p.m., predicting thunderstorms with damaging winds and rain that could cause flash flooding.
The nearby towns of Bridgetown, Bunbury, Collie, Manjimup, Harvey and Walpole are expected to be affected by the bad weather.
More to come