Catastrophic Tornado Tears Through Ottawa-Gatineau
A tornado tore through parts of Ottawa and Gatineau, Que., on Friday, leaving two people in critical condition, flattening buildings and knocking out power for almost 150,000 homes and businesses.
The twister touched down in a rural community in Ottawa's west end called Dunrobin, where multiple homes were severely damaged before heading east across the Ottawa River toward Gatineau Park.
"I don't know how to describe it, it got levelled," resident Dan Spinks said of his extensively damaged home in Dunrobin.
He said his neighbours' home was also levelled and debris had been tossed around the neighbourhood.
"The dumpsters from the Dunrobin store are in my backyard... that's about two football fields (away)," he said.
As of 10 p.m. ET on Friday, six people from the Ottawa area had been taken to a hospital, with two in critical condition, according to The Ottawa Hospital.
One person is in serious condition, two are stable, and one is in fair condition.
A dozen other minor injuries were reported, according to Ottawa's general manager of emergency services.
Anthony Di Monte said earlier there were reports of 30 to 40 damaged homes in the community, and there were indications some people could be trapped in buildings.
