Firefighters search a home in Andover, Kan., Friday, April 29, 2022, after a tornado ripped through the area just east of Wichita
(Picture: AP)Thousands of people have been left without power and several injured after a suspected tornado ripped through parts of Kansas.
Officials said the suspected twister barrelled through parts of southeast Wichita and Andover on Friday evening.
Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell said that 50 to 100 buildings were damaged in Sedgwick County.
It is not immediately known how many buildings were damaged in Andover.
Mr Russell said in some neighborhoods homes “were completely blown away.”
Officials said only a few injuries had been reported.
In Sedgwick County, three people were injured, including one woman who suffered serious injuries.
Russell said no injuries had been reported in Butler County, but a secondary assessment would be conducted Saturday morning.
While it was not immediately known how many buildings had been damaged, more than 900 structures were in the suspected tornado’s path, he added.
He said some neighborhoods were “damaged enough that houses were completely blown down” and cited areas that suffered “very bad damage.”
City Hall also sustained damage, which hampered “some of our efforts,” Russell said. Other buildings reportedly damaged included the Dr. Jim Farha Andover YMCA and Prairie Creek Elementary School.
