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Tornado kills 2 in Indiana with another bout of dangerous storms ongoing

Dangerous storms with tornadoes and giant hail tore across the Central US overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, killing at least two people.

A destroyed vehicle lies in a debris field in Aroma Park, Illinois, on Wednesday. - Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/TNS/Getty Images

Wednesday evening into early Thursday, this powerful line of severe storms with damaging winds barreled across the Gulf Coast, spawning several tornadoes and toppling hundreds of trees and powerlines. Nearly 150,000 customers were left without power by midnight.

The tornado threat, while less significant than Tuesday, isn't over. A tornado watch remains in effect for parts of southeastern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and west-central Georgia until 8:00 a.m. ET.

Here's the latest:

Tornado kills two: A married couple in their 80s died in Lake Village, Indiana, after a tornado hit the rural community around an hour south of Chicago, the Newton County, Indiana, coroner said. Several others were hospitalized. First responders said there was "total devastation" in the small community.
Several tornadoes reported Tuesday: Over a dozen tornadoes have been reported from Tuesday's storms in three states: Texas, Illinois and Indiana. A long-lasting supercell spawned multiple tornadoes as it tracked across Illinois and Indiana, including one that ripped through Kankakee and Aroma Park, Illinois, causing damage to several homes and buildings there. This twister was preliminarily given an EF-3 rating by the National Weather Service in Central Illinois. Several people were injured, but no one died, Kankakee's mayor said.
Monster hail: The storms also produced softball-sized or larger hail that crushed cars and caused damage in Illinois. One hailstone measured 6 inches in diameter, twice the size of a baseball, and may have set a new state record.

'Total devastation' in Indiana

Lake Village, a small town in northwest Indiana, was one of the places in the Midwest hit hardest by the tornado.

"Right before 7 p.m. (Tuesday), a large tornado hit our community, and it hit us hard," Lake Township Volunteer Fire Department spokesperson Lori Postma said.

When first responders made an early assessment overnight, they found "total devastation," fire department chief Rob Churchill said. "There were houses that were collapsed. There were people trapped in houses. There's livestock loose," he said.

The Newton County Coroner's Office on Wednesday said Edward L. Kozlowski, 89, and his wife, Arlene Kozlowski, 84, were killed as the powerful tornado tore through the area.

Authorities identified Ed and Arlene Kozlowski as the two victims killed in a tornado that hit Lake Village, Indiana on March 10, 2026. - Sue Kozlowski-Rehfeldt

Coroners preliminarily determined the couple's cause of death to be "multiple blunt force trauma," and an autopsy has been scheduled for Friday.

The Kozlowskis were found by a relative in the yard behind their house, Arlene's sister toldCNN affiliate WLS.

"This is devastating," Christine Kwintera said, sharing that her sister and brother-in-law had lived there for decades and were enjoying a quiet life post-retirement.

"She was good to everyone, all the kids," Kwintera said, breaking down in tears as she described her sister. "She was a good person."

"They were wonderful, just really wonderful human beings," the couple's son-in-law Steve Rehfeldt toldCNN affiliate WBBM."You know, tough old guy and sweet old lady."

The Kozlowskis left behind four children, seven grandchildren and great-grandchildren, WBBM reported.

"[There is] a lot of damage. Please do not come here. Do not try to help," Newton County Sheriff Shannon Cothran said in avideo postfrom Lake Village late Tuesday night. Behind him, the tornado appeared to have reduced at least one home to rubble.

Fire department crews searched hundreds of homes in the dark and under dangerous conditions to look for survivors in the tornado's aftermath, Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield said.

One survivor, Steven Travis, toldWBBMhe was at home when the storm barrelled down his street. He said the ceiling started coming down as the roof over his bedroom was lifted off.

"I climbed into the closet, and that's where I came out and debris was everywhere," he said. "I mean, the place was destroyed."

At least 100 structures were damaged as of Wednesday's count, including 32 destroyed, Fifield said. Those numbers are expected to rise, as many more homes have been damaged, he added.

An employee emerges from the rubble of a Family Dollar destroyed by a tornado in Lake Village, Indiana, on March 10. - Michael Hickey/Getty Images

A cross stands near destroyed homes in Aroma Park, Illinois, on Wednesday. - Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/TNS/Getty Images

Injuries and widespread damage were reported in other parts of Indiana and Illinois, according to officials.

Several houses and other structures were also damaged after a tornado hit Starke County, Indiana, but there were no injuries or deaths, according to Starke County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Wayne James. The county includes the town of Knox, where the National Weather Service issued a tornado emergency — the most urgent type of tornado warning.

First responders, state and local officials, and the American Red Cross were providing immediate support to communities, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun saidin a post on XWednesday morning. "Maureen and I are praying for the families who lost loved ones and for every Hoosier impacted by the devastating tornadoes," Braun said.

Drone video from Kankakee County, Illinois, showed buildings torn apart and debris scattered across neighborhoods after the tornado moved through. Emergency crews navigated the wreckage overnight with flashlights, stepping over splintered lumber and fallen trees as they searched damaged homes.

Nine people had minor injuries but there have been no deaths or people reported missing in the county, according to Kankakee County Chairman Matthew Alexander-Hildebrand. "While homes, buildings and infrastructure can be rebuilt — lives cannot be replaced," he said.

Jim Horchem saw the tornado as it approached his neighborhood in Kankakee County. "I thought, geez, that's a tornado. It's coming, it's coming, it's coming. And … everything goes into slow motion," Horchem told CorClips journalist Jonathan Petramala.

Horchem and his family hid from the tornado inside a bathtub. As he watched water seep under the bathroom door, Horchem thought his home was already torn open. "I really thought, 'This is it, we're going to die.'"

Brandy Peppin said she had only minutes of warning before the storm reached her house. Her brother called to say he could see the tornado heading straight toward her home.

"Thank God," Peppin told CNN. "And I ran, grabbed my dog who was already in the closet where we go down into the crawl space and literally pulled the door open. He fell into the crawl space, and I went down there and we rode the tornado out. It was so loud."

"There would be little 'bang bangs' and then big ones," she said. "You could just tell that there was debris hitting the house and hear things hitting the house — it was so loud."

TheKankakee County Sheriff's Officeactivated its Emergency Operations Center and filed an emergency declaration with Illinois.

"I want to remind area residents to check on their neighbors and loved ones but to avoid unnecessary travel, if at all possible," Sheriff Mike Downey said.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzkersaid he had been briefed on the storm damage and was monitoring the situation.

"Keeping in our thoughts all Illinoisans impacted by the severe weather – we'll be here to help them recover," he said.

Thursday's forecast

Storms are pushing east after intensifying late Wednesday from Texas to the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic.

We could still see some isolated severe thunderstorms and tornadoes across the Southeast this morning through 8 a.m. ET, but relief from storms is on the way.

Aweather pattern changebegins to envelop the US Thursday, cooling down the east and limiting severe potential through the end of the week.

CNN Meteorologists Briana Waxman and CNN's Diego Mendoza and Karina Tsui contributed to this report.

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byCristiano Ronaldo

in

March 12, 2026

Tornado kills 2 in Indiana with another bout of dangerous storms ongoing

Dangerous storms with tornadoes and giant hail tore across the Central US overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, killing at le...

Six vessels attacked in Gulf, Strait of Hormuz as war puts merchant ships on front lines

By Aref Mohammed Ahmed Rasheed Jonathan Saul

The Thailand-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree engulfed in black smoke in the Strait of Hormuz, March 11, 2026. ROYAL THAI NAVY/Handout via REUTERS

The Thailand-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree engulfed in black smoke in the Strait of Hormuz

DUBAI/BASRA, Iraq, March 11 (Reuters) - Explosive-laden Iranian boats appear to have attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters, setting them ablaze and killing one crew member on Wednesday, after projectiles struck four vessels in Gulf waters, said port, maritime security and risk firms.

The latest attacks on ships linked to the U.S. and Europe mark an escalation in the conflict between Iran and U.S.-Israeli ‌forces, raising the number of ships struck in the region since fighting began to at least 16.

Shipping in the Gulf and along the narrow Strait of Hormuz, which carries around a fifth of the world's oil, has come ‌to a near-standstill since the U.S. and Israel began strikes on Iran on February 28, sending global oil prices surging to highs not seen since 2022. [O/R]

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have said that if attacks on Iran continued, they would not allow "one litre of oil" to be shipped from the Middle East to the U.S., Israel or their partners.

Trump warned Washington would strike Iran harder if it blocked oil exports, and said oil companies should use the strait because "just about all of (Iran's) navy is gone."

The vessels targeted in Wednesday's late-night attacks in the Gulf near Iraq were the Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu and the Malta-flagged Zefyros, which had loaded fuel cargoes in Iraq, two Iraqi port officials said.

Iraq's State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) said the Safesea Vishnu was chartered by an Iraqi company contracted with SOMO, and that Zefyros was loaded with condensate products from Basra Gas Company. Both were attacked in the ship-to-ship loading area within Iraqi territorial waters, SOMO said.

IRAQI OIL PORTS CLOSED

Iraq's oil ports have completely stopped operations following the assaults, while commercial ports continue to function, Iraq's state news agency said, citing the ‌head of the state-run General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI).

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade ⁠Operations (UKMTO) said the crew of one ship had been evacuated and were reported safe.

"A boat belonging to the Iraqi Ports Company rescued 25 crew members from the two vessels, and the fires are still burning on both ships," Farhan al-Fartousi, GCPI's director general, told Reuters.

Iraqi rescue teams continue searching for other seafarers.

"We recovered the body of a foreign crew member from the water," one port security official ⁠said.

The Safesea Vishnu's commercial operator and beneficial operator are Safesea Transport Group and Safesea Group, respectively, according to data from Lloyd's List Intelligence.

Those U.S.-based companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

One Iraqi port security source said Zefyros is flagged in Malta and provided Reuters with a list of crew names.

Lloyd's List Intelligence data showed UK-based Cygnus Tankers Limited as the commercial operator and the George & Vassilis Michael family group of companies, a key player in Greek shipping, as the beneficial owner of a tanker matching that name and flag registry.

Cygnus Tankers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters was not able to immediately reach the beneficial owner.

REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS HAVE SAID SHIPS WILL BE TARGETED

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have repeatedly warned that any ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz will be ‌targeted.

Two projectiles of unknown origin struck the Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree dry bulk vessel as it sailed through the strait earlier on Wednesday, causing a fire and damaging the engine room, the ship's Thai-listed operator Precious Shipping said in a statement.

"Three crew members are reported missing and believed to be trapped in the engine room," Precious Shipping said.

"The company is working with the relevant authorities to rescue these three missing crew members," it said, adding that the remaining 20 crew members had been safely evacuated and were ashore in Oman.

Images provided by the Thai navy showed smoke pouring out of the back of the ship.

Iran's Guards said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency that the ship was "fired upon by Iranian fighters", suggesting the first direct engagement by the Guards who have previously fired missiles or drones.

The U.S. Navy has refused near-daily requests from the shipping industry for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war on Iran, saying the risk of attacks is too ‌high for now, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Trump has said the U.S. is prepared to provide naval escorts whenever needed.

THREE OTHER SHIPS SUSTAIN MINOR DAMAGE

The Japan-flagged container ship ONE Majesty also sustained minor damage on Wednesday from an unknown projectile 25 nautical miles (46 km) northwest of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, two maritime security firms said.

Its Japanese owner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and a spokesperson for Ocean Network Express, its charterer, said the vessel was struck while at anchor in the Gulf and an inspection of the hull revealed minor damage above the waterline.

All crew are safe, ‌they said, adding that the vessel remains fully operational and seaworthy. The owner said the cause of the incident remained unclear and was under investigation.

A third vessel, a bulk carrier, was also hit by an unknown projectile approximately 50 nautical miles (92.6 km) northwest of Dubai, maritime security firms said.

The projectile had damaged the hull of the Marshall Islands-flagged Star Gwyneth, maritime risk management company Vanguard said, adding that the vessel's crew were safe. Owner Star Bulk Carriers said the ship was hit in the hold area whilst anchored. There were no crew injuries and no listing.

Early on Thursday, UKMTO said an unidentified projectile struck a container ship, causing a small fire, 35 nautical miles north of Jebel Ali ‌in the UAE. The crew were reported safe.

The Guards' statement included a reference to another ship, which it said was hit by projectiles - usually a reference to drones - on Wednesday morning. Reuters was not immediately able to confirm that report.

(Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Enes Tunagur in London, Yannis Souliotis and Renee Maltezou in Athens, Panarat Thepgumpanat in Bangkok and Kentaro Okasaka in Tokyo, Tala Ramadan, Nayera Abdallah in Dubai, Hatem Maher in Cairo and Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Louise Heavens, Philippa Fletcher, Michael Perry and Tom Hogue)

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

March 12, 2026

Six vessels attacked in Gulf, Strait of Hormuz as war puts merchant ships on front lines

By Aref Mohammed Ahmed Rasheed Jonathan Saul The Thailand-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree engulfed in black...

Jury orders Ye to pay man who sued rapper for labor violations

More than two years afterYewassued by a manoverseeing construction at his Malibu home, a Los Angeles jury mostly sided against thecontroversial rapper, formerly known asKanye West.

On Wednesday, March 11, the jury handed down a verdict finding Ye liable for damages related to injuries alleged by Tony Saxon – a project manager who also performed full-time security duties during construction on the waterfront property in 2021 and claimed various labor violations during the job – perVarietyandRolling Stone.

However, the jurors reportedly did not find that Saxon had been wrongfully terminated and decided to not award punitive damages as they did not agree that Ye acted with "malice, oppression, or fraud."

The Yeezy founder was ordered to pay Saxon $140,000, as well as compensation for Saxon's legal fees – a far cry from the $1.7 million in compensatory damages Saxon's team was seeking.

Tony Saxon arrives at a Los Angeles courthouse on March 5, 2026, for his case against Ye, formerly Kanye, West, whom he accuses of labor violations. Ye and Bianca Censori were set to testify in the civil trial.

Saxon's attorney, West Coast Trial Lawyers Employment Chair Ronald Zambrano, in a statement called the result a "mixed verdict" that was "a vindication for our client."

"Ye's lawyers called [Saxon] a liar, a fraud, and a malingerer in court. His medical records, bank records, and personal family history were dissected, mocked, and vilified. Yeezy representative Milo Yiannopoulos maligned him and our firm in the press. Ye's team demanded that Tony pay them to resolve the case and issue a public apology. Most people would have folded," he said.

Born Kanye Omari West, Ye transformed himself from a college dropout in Chicago to an undisputable icon of music and fashion. But a string of controversies has the rapper facing a fallout. In October 2022, several companies, including Adidas and Balenciaga fashion house, cut ties with the star after he made antisemitic remarks.

Look back on Ye's life and career, from his marriage and divorce from Kim Kardashian to his polarizing political statements. Here, Ye and Bianca Censori attend the 67th Grammy Awards on Feb. 2, 2025, in Los Angeles.