Tornado Injures Nine, One Critically, in North Dakota

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(Reuters) - Nine people were injured, one critically, when a tornado tore through a trailer park in a northwestern North Dakota county that is part of the state's oil boom, an official said.

The tornado on Monday night smashed 15 recreational vehicles that housed mainly workers who traveled to North Dakota from other states, said Jerry Samuelson, director of emergency management for McKenzie County.

One person was taken to Trinity Health in Minot, North Dakota, in critical condition and eight people were treated for minor injuries at McKenzie County Memorial Hospital in Watford City and released, Samuelson said.

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Samuelson said everyone appeared to be accounted for from the storm after two separate searches. One family with four small children was displaced and is looking for housing, Samuelson said.

A National Weather Service team was surveying the damage on Tuesday to determine the size and intensity of the confirmed tornado, said Michael Mathews, a meteorologist in Bismarck, North Dakota. Mathews said there were also reports of very large hail, 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) in diameter, and heavy rain in the area on Monday.

(Reporting by David Bailey in Minneapolis; Editing by Grant McCool)

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