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A tornado tore through parts of Ottawa and Gatineau, Que., on Friday, seriously injuring four people, flattening buildings and knocking out power for almost 150,000 homes and businesses.
The twister touched down in Dunrobin — a rural community in Ottawa's west end, where multiple homes were severely damaged — before heading east across the Ottawa River toward Gatineau Park, according to Environment Canada.
"I don't know how to describe it, it got levelled," resident Dan Spinks said of his extensively damaged home in Dunrobin.
He said his neighbours' home was also levelled and debris had been tossed around the neighbourhood.
"The dumpsters from the Dunrobin store are in my backyard... that's about two football fields [away]," he told CBC's All in a Day.
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As of 10 p.m. ET on Friday, six people from the Ottawa area had been taken to hospital, with four in serious condition, according to paramedics.
A dozen other minor injuries were reported, according to Ottawa's general manager of emergency services.
Anthony Di Monte said earlier there were reports of 30 to 40 damaged homes in the community, and there were indications some people could be trapped in buildings.
"In these situations, we kind of have to go house to house. Power's down. Communication is problematic. And in a couple of areas fire is indicating that some people are trapped and we're attending to them," he said. He asked people to stay away from the damaged areas.
"My thoughts and prayers are with the people that were affected, and my thanks goes out to the first responders who are doing an amazing job," said Merrilee Fullerton, MPP for Kanata-Carleton.
"I would have to say there are about 20 houses severely affected, probably more," Fullerton said, who said that number is only based on a quick tour she was given.
Early reports from Gatineau said five people sustained injuries and were taken to hospital, while hundreds were left to seek shelter. As well, more than 50,000 Hydro-Québec customers were without power as of 12:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Hydro Ottawa said more than 147,000 customers are without power. It is unclear when power will be fully restored. Traffic lights are also out in several spots across the city. They should be treated as a four-way stop.
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