Tornado Hits Illinois Town

A tornado has killed one person and swept homes off their foundations as part of a storm system that rolled through the Midwest.

Emergency officials in the tiny town of Fairdale, Illinois, said one person was killed there and at least seven were injured.

The power was out and the entire town, a small community of about 200 residents 75 miles (120km) from Chicago, had to be evacuated. Most of the town's buildings were destroyed or severely damaged.

Damage was also reported in and around Rochelle, another small town about 80 miles (130km) west of Chicago.

"There's some houses that have been completely destroyed," Rochelle Councilman Bill Hayes said. He saw a tornado touch down while he was driving and raced off to warn people in its path.

Roads were closed all around the area due to downed power lines, windows of homes were shattered and trees were uprooted, witnesses reported.