1 person dead, buildings damaged after tornado rips through northeastern Kansas

WESTMORELAND, Kan. (AP) — One person died Tuesday when a tornado ripped through the small city of Westmoreland in northeastern Kansas, authorities said.

Pottawatomie County officials said on Facebook that a tornado struck the city Tuesday evening, damaging multiple structures. First responders were conducting grid searches in Westmoreland to survey damage and to search for people who may have been injured.

A Pottawatomie County spokesperson confirmed the single fatality in a news release sent to media. The name of the person who died was being withheld pending family notification.

Westmoreland is about 45 miles (72.42 kilometers) northwest of Topeka.

Images posted to social media showed a tornado on the ground in Westmoreland, as well as damaged homes, uprooted trees and a flipped semi.

Tuesday’s storms came just two days after tornadoes tore through Oklahoma on Sunday, killing four people and injuring at least 100. On Friday, tornadoes twisted through Nebraska and Iowa, demolishing homes and businesses and leaving one person dead.