Two caravan parks and a forest in Victoria and part of New South Wales were hit by the tornado which touched down around 8pm local time, leaving scenes of devastation which witnesses likened to a warzone.
A tornado ripped through parts of Australia injuring 20 people, local media reported.
The storm struck around 8pm local time in the northeast of Victoria, razing two caravan parks and destroying a forest, according to local emergency officials.
It also affected parts of New South Wales, where another caravan park appeared largely destroyed. One young driver in the state had a lucky escape. Footage filmed from inside his car shows the tornado touching only metres from the road, with power lines exploding as they were hit by the twister. Daniel Clarke, 24, was forced to accelerate away at speed in a bid to escape.
Visitors to the caravan park and witnesses likened the scene in Mulwala to a war zone.
"Everyone's lost everything," one woman, who arrived on Friday morning, after the tornado struck, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
An elderly woman, who did not give her name, recalled "bits of timber and trees and pieces of caravan just flying past, I don't think I'll ever forget it. It's dreadful."
She said she and her husband were lucky that the tornado did not hit their caravan, where they were at the time.
Earlier, an ambulance team manager in Victoria said 19 people were first airlifted to a local hospital, and five of them were later flown to Melbourne for medical treatment.
Local media said initial reports suggested winds picked up to between 180 and 250kmh (111-155mph).
A tornado ripped through parts of Australia injuring 20 people, local media reported.
The storm struck around 8pm local time in the northeast of Victoria, razing two caravan parks and destroying a forest, according to local emergency officials.
It also affected parts of New South Wales, where another caravan park appeared largely destroyed. One young driver in the state had a lucky escape. Footage filmed from inside his car shows the tornado touching only metres from the road, with power lines exploding as they were hit by the twister. Daniel Clarke, 24, was forced to accelerate away at speed in a bid to escape.
Visitors to the caravan park and witnesses likened the scene in Mulwala to a war zone.
"Everyone's lost everything," one woman, who arrived on Friday morning, after the tornado struck, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
An elderly woman, who did not give her name, recalled "bits of timber and trees and pieces of caravan just flying past, I don't think I'll ever forget it. It's dreadful."
She said she and her husband were lucky that the tornado did not hit their caravan, where they were at the time.
Earlier, an ambulance team manager in Victoria said 19 people were first airlifted to a local hospital, and five of them were later flown to Melbourne for medical treatment.
Local media said initial reports suggested winds picked up to between 180 and 250kmh (111-155mph).
Source: Telegraph
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