Four Boy Scouts Killed, Tornado Destroys Scout Ranch in Iowa

At least four people were killed after a massive tornado hit a Boy Scout Camp in Iowa on Wednesday night.

The tornado at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in Little Sioux, IA killed Scouts Josh Fennen, 13, Sam Thomsen, 13 and Ben Petrzilka, 14, all of Omaha, Nebraska; and Aaron Eilerts, 14, of Eagle Grove, Iowa. Eilerts was a Scout and a camp staff member.

Forty-eight Scouts and staff members were injured.

Rob Logsdon, a 15-year-old staff member at the camp, told CNN that he and fellow campers were watching the lightning, but soon thereafter, the tornado touched down and the siren went off for them to go to their shelters.

"All of a sudden, two seconds later, the tornado was on top of us," Logsdon said on CNN's "American Morning". "I know it picked up our adult leader's car and threw it 50 yards, easy."

"Eight seconds, and the tornado passed. That was like the longest eight seconds I've ever had," Logsdon told CNN affiliate KETV in Omaha.

The closest siren to the ranch was located in Blencoe, which is about 15 miles away. Blencoe is a very small town in northwest Iowa's Monona County. It has a population of 231, according to the 2000 census.

According to reports, 93 campers and 25 staff were at the camp when the tornado struck about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. All have been accounted for, but the 1,800-acre park was still being searched Thursday morning.

"All of the buildings are gone; most of the tents are gone; most of the trees are destroyed," said Lloyd Roitstein, president of the Mid-America Council of Boy Scouts of America. "You've got 1,800 acres of property that are destroyed right now."

After the tornado struck, surviving Boy Scouts were taken to West Harrison High School in nearby Mondamin, Iowa to wait for their parents to pick them up.

The Scouts at the Little Sioux ranch were advanced Scouts between 13 and 18 years old and were there for a week of training.

The Little Sioux Scout Ranch is about 45 miles north of Omaha and 45 miles south of Sioux City, Iowa.

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