Searchers comb resort after two tornados hit Illinois

[June 24, 2015]  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Searchers with rescue dogs combed through a large lake resort west of Chicago on Tuesday, looking for people who might be trapped after a tornado toppled trailers and recreational vehicles, state officials said.

On Monday night, a tornado tore through Woodhaven Lakes campground in Lee County, a two-hour drive from Chicago, Governor Bruce Rauner's office said in a statement.

Another tornado then hit the village of Coal City 55 miles away, injuring a handful of people and damaging some 30 homes and businesses, officials said.

The Woodhaven Lakes campground, near the town of Sublette, has more than 6,000 sites but many were unoccupied on Monday evening, according to a nearby business owner.

"We're very fortunate that it wasn't on a weekend or a big holiday," said Cynthia McCoy, who owns a nearby restaurant.

"There is extensive damage inside, a lot of trees down, and trailers tipped over, and roofs off," McCoy said.

The National Weather Service said it had teams in Sublette and Coal City to assess damage and determine the strength of the tornados.

Rauner's office said an 80-member search-and-rescue team, including trained dogs, was assisting local responders in looking for people possibly trapped in trailers in the campground.

In Coal City, a worker at the village hall said it was still unclear how many people had been injured or how many dwellings and businesses were damaged in the town of 5,000 people.

The Chicago Tribune reported that as many as 30 homes were damaged in Coal City, as well as a firehouse and a gas station. Roofs were torn off and power lines and trees were down, the paper reported.

(Reporting by Fiona Ortiz; Editing by Will Dunham)

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