Tornadoes rip through Ohio

Tornadoes and thunderstorms tore through the Midwest on Sunday, killing at least seven people in Ohio and triggering the automatic shutdown of a nuclear power plant in Michigan.

In northwest Ohio, seven people were confirmed dead in mostly rural Lake Township south of Toledo.

Tornadoes destroyed dozens of homes and heavily damaged the police headquarters and high school, authorities said.An emergency command center was set up behind the damaged police administration building, and the school's graduation ceremony was postponed.

"Windows were blown out of the buildings, buses overturned, the police department lost all of their vehicles except the ones that were occupied by officers," said a police spokesman in a neighboring township where calls were rerouted.

Severe storms caused the automatic shutdown of the Fermi 2 nuclear power plant on the shore of Lake Erie in southeast Michigan after a key area of the plant lost its power feed, said Monroe County spokesman Dan Smith.

All safety systems at the plant were functioning and the plant was stable, although an exterior wall was damaged as the siding was ripped off, Smith said.

Tornadoes also touched down in several locations in central Illinois around Peoria, the National Weather Service said. Local media reported dozens of injuries and damaged buildings.