UPDATE 2-Tornado kills four at Iowa boy scout camp
(updates with additional information on rescue operations, governor's quote)
DES MOINES, Iowa, June 11 (Reuters) - Four people were killed and at least 20 injured when a tornado tore through an Iowa boy scout camp on Wednesday, where dozens of scouts were gathered for a summer retreat, state officials said.
The deadly twister was one of more than 30 that roared through four U.S. Midwestern states on Wednesday. It hit the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in western Iowa about 6:35 p.m. CDT (2135 GMT). More tornadoes were feared for the region Wednesday night.
Ninety-three campers and 25 adults were attending the Little Sioux camp when the tornado struck, said Tina Potthoff, spokeswoman for the Iowa Emergency Operations Center. Potthoff said in addition to the four dead, at least 20 and possibly up to 40 people were injured.
Injured campers were taken to five area hospitals as parents of campers gathered Wednesday night in a nearby church awaiting news and search and rescue teams continued to sift through debris at the camp.
Iowa officials said the state National Guard had been mobilized to assist in search and rescue operations, work that was complicated by the heavily treed area where the camp was located and continued lightning strikes and heavy rain.
The scouts had been attending an annual "Pohuk Pride" weeklong junior leader training event at the 1,800-acre ranch, which has four cabin shelters, a 15-acre lake, a rifle range and six hiking trails.
"We are profoundly saddened ... our heart goes out to all of the families and the children affected by this horrific tragedy," said Gov. Chet Culver.
At least two tornado warnings were issued for the Little Sioux area before the twister struck. State officials said they did not know if there were any warning sirens operating at the camp, however.
The tornado was one of more than 30 reported late Wednesday moving across eastern Kansas into Nebraska, Iowa and into Minnesota, according to Storm Prediction Center.
The tornadoes were accompanied by baseball-sized hail and vicious winds, and came in addition to rampant flooding that has forced hundreds from their homes in Iowa.
Culver has declared 54 of Iowa's 99 counties disaster areas due to damage from the flooding and tornadoes.
Violent weather continued to wrack the region late Wednesday night with tornado watches issued for areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa and Kansas, the Storm Prediction Center said.
"We still have a threat of tornadoes, along with large hail and damaging wind gusts," said Storm Prediction Center meteorologist Steve Weiss.
"We do have severe weather in the U.S. and we do our best to alert people but sometimes it can be tragic," Weiss said. (Additional reporting by Carey Gillam in Kansas City; editing by Philip Barbara)
