BOY SCOUT OFFICIALS HAVE ANNOUNCED THAT everybody who was at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch last night has been accounted for.  As a precaution, rescuers are combing the area of the destroyed Boy Scout camp to see if there are any heretofore unknown campers still injured.

A tornado ripped through the remote area at 6:35 pm Central last night (see Firegeezer early report HERE.) catching the 93 boys and 23 camp staffers without warning.  About half of the scouts were out in the woods on a hike and the remainder were getting ready to view a movie in one of the camp buildings when the tornado struck.

All the boys in the building took cover properly, but the twister made a direct hit on the campground buildings reducing all of them to rubble.  Camp leaders saw a funnel cloud forming and tried to sound a siren attached to the camp’s administrative building, but it wasn’t clear if they hit the alarm.

A camp ranger’s residence was reduced to rubble
along with all the other buildings in the ranch.
(Onawa Sentinal photo)

The search and rescue crews that were first on the scene had to cut and press their way through destroyed woodland amidst heavy rains and lightning before they could reach the camp and begin rescue efforts.  The 1,800 acre ranch is located about 40 miles north of Omaha, Nebraska.

Four of the most severely injured scouts were
airlifted out of the reserve.  (Onawa Sentinal)

The latest report confirms that the total number of fatalities is four, all of them boys, and the number injured is 48.

A high school in Mondamin, Iowa, was used as a
secondary triage and staging center.  (AP/Harnick)

One of the senior scouts gives a description of what was going on inside the camp as the tornado hit:

The governor of Iowa is expected to hold a press conference at 8 am Central time.

Compiled from AP reports.  Updates will be added during the day as information is released.

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