Tornado rips through homes and property in Australia

An amateur video above depicts a smaller scale tornado approaching homes [source: youtube/Rhialian]

A tornado ripped through parts of Australia's Victoria state on Thursday, injuring 20 people, local media reported.

The storm struck around 8 p.m. local time (0900 GMT) in the northeast of Victoria, razing two caravan parks and destroying a forest, according to local emergency officials.

It also affected parts of New South Wales.

An ambulance team manager said 19 people were first airlifted to a local hospital, and five of them were later flown to Melbourne for medical treatment.

Roofs of houses and a number of cars were seen crushed by fallen trees.

The small town of Bundalong in Victoria was reported to have been particularly badly hit, with the local mayor likening it to the scene of a bomb explosion.

Residents recalled the moment the tornado struck with fear.

"You could actually see the funnel and hear it ripping through the trees, and just the roar of it was horrendous," Caileen Taylor told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"The wind just blew and the trees were just coming down everywhere. It was the scariest thing," said another local resident, Liz Menhenett.

Local media said initial reports suggested winds got up to between 180 and 250 kilometres per hour (111 and 155 miles per hour).


AP