Toddler killed and mother injured during tornado in Detroit suburb

LIVONIA, Mich. (AP) — A tornado killed a 2-year-old boy and injured his mother Wednesday when a tree fell on their house in suburban Detroit, officials said.

Livonia city officials said in a post on the city’s website that the quick-developing tornado struck several neighborhoods in the city on Wednesday afternoon.

A massive tree was uprooted, falling onto the family’s house and through the roof, landing on a bed where the woman and her 2-year-old were sleeping, officials said. Crews worked for nearly an hour to remove the roof, parts of the tree and then lifted the tree to extricate the victims.

The toddler was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. The mother was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.

A 2-week-old sibling who was in a crib in a separate room was not injured but taken to a hospital for an evaluation, Livonia Fire Department Chief Robert Johnson told WDIV-TV.

“This is a terrible tragedy for our community,” Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan said in the statement. “Our hearts are broken, too, and we send our deepest sympathies.”