A tornado has overturned cars and ripped roofs off homes and a recreation center in the south-west of Western Australia.
At least 40 calls were made to emergency services after the tornado struck around 4pm on Friday in Bunbury (6pm AEST), roughly two hours south of Perth.
The tornado is believed to have ripped through a recreation center with dozens of children inside in south suburban Withers.
Four St John Ambulance crews were on scene at the centre.
There were about 6,000 homes without power Friday night with an evacuation center open at the Eaton Recreation Center.
“People on Parade Road, Washington Avenue and Bussell Highway in Withers, including those near the Hay Park Multi Sports Pavillion, should be aware of downed power lines, trees and other hazards,” Emergency WA warns.
The Bureau of Meteorology has since canceled two severe thunderstorm warnings issued earlier in the day.
One was for people in the Greater Perth area, while a second warning was in place for those in the Lower West, Greater South and Central Wheatbelt regions.
“I could just see all this debris in the sky and I thought it was a bloody rollover,” a local resident told 9News.
“The closer I got, I could see sheds, I could see trampolines and the noise and the wind and the rain.
“It’s just amazing. It’s what you see in the movies.”
Bunbury Regional Prison was also affected, with one inmate taken to hospital.
Multiple apartment blocks in the minimum security section were damaged, but the site was secured.
Residents are being warned of flash flooding that may follow the storm in the area.
