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August 25, 2016

Buildings Flattened, Cars Tossed But No Serious Injuries After Indiana Tornadoes

WATCH: Strong Storms Wreak Havoc Across the Heartland
By Avianne Tan

Multiple tornadoes struck central Indiana Wednesday -- damaging homes, leveling buildings and piling cars on top of one another like toys.

Miraculously, state police said late Wednesday that no serious injures had been reported even as tens of thousands of residents had no power. About a dozen people suffered cuts and bruises.

AP
A vehicle rests on another after a tornado struck in Kokomo, Ind., Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. Multiple tornadoes touched down in central Indiana on Wednesday, tearing the roofs off apartment buildings, sending air conditioners falling onto parked cars and cutting power to thousands of people. (TeeJay Crawford via AP)

National Weather Service meteorologist Brad Herold said a preliminary survey shows an EF3 tornado with maximum winds of 165 mph struck Kokomo, about 40 miles north of Indianapolis, the Associated Press reported.

At 3:15 p.m. local time, the National Weather Service urged everyone in the area to take shelter immediately, calling the situation "particularly dangerous."

Minutes later, the NWS issued warning for a "confirmed large and destructive tornado."

The tornado blew roofs off of homes and buildings, knocked over trees and even flattened a Starbucks in Kokomo's Markland Mall, ABC affiliate WRTV in Indianapolis reported.

Utility companies reported more than 32,000 customers were without power in the state as of Wednesday night.

People who had been hiding in the Starbucks' bathroom somehow survived with no major injuries.

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AP
In this photo provided by Frank Oliver, a horse roams following a tornado south of Mace, Ind., Wednesday August 24, 2016. Multiple tornadoes touched down in central Indiana on Wednesday, tearing the roofs off apartment buildings, sending air conditioners falling onto parked cars and cutting power to thousands of people. (Frank Oliver via AP)

"It's crazy. It's a madhouse," said Mitchell Carlson, a maintenance technician at the Park Place Apartments in Kokomo. He added that the complex has 16 buildings and "probably eight of them don't have a roof."

Despite the violent winds, everyone appeared to have escaped harm. "So, I guess we're all blessed at the Park Place," Carlson said.

AP
This photo shows a funnel cloud near Russiaville, Ind., Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. Multiple tornadoes touched down in central Indiana on Wednesday, tearing the roofs off apartment buildings, sending air conditioners falling onto parked cars and cutting power to thousands of people. (Tim Bath/The Kokomo Tribune via AP)

In addition to the Kokomo twisters, police in Indianapolis spotted at least two funnel clouds close to the ground in the city just south of Interstate 70, but the department had received no reports of damage, according to Officer Jim Gillespie of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Jeff Morehead/Chronicle-Tribune via AP Photo
A funnel cloud near Van Buren, Indiana, moves east before breaking up as storms move through Grant County, Aug. 24, 2016. At least two tornadoes struck cities in central Indiana on Wednesday, tearing the roof off apartment buildings, sending air conditioners falling onto parked cars and cutting power to thousands of people.

ABC News' Alex Perez, Susan Caraher and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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