ELY, Minn. – The Latest on a boy and a woman camping with a Boy Scouts adventure program who were killed when storms swept through a northern Minnesota forest (all times local):
4:50 p.m.
Police in Ontario, Canada, are investigating after a ferocious storm knocked down trees and killed a boy and a woman camping with a Boy Scouts of America group.
Authorities say the group was camping on Basswood Lake in Quetico Provincial Park in Canada when strong winds blew through early Thursday. The Boy Scouts previously had said the campers were on the U.S. side of the forest in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, but the Scouts later confirmed that the campers were in Canada.
Lake County Sheriff Carey Johnson tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune that a 13-year-old boy and a 39-year-old woman were killed when a tree fell on their tents. Johnson says two other campers were seriously hurt and taken to a hospital in Ely (EE'-lee). The Boy Scouts say those campers' injuries are not life-threatening.
The woman was a volunteer with the Northern Tier High Adventure Base Program. Nine people involved in the program, including three adults and six boys, were camping when storms hit the area along the U.S.-Canadian border.
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2 p.m.
The Boy Scouts of America say falling trees knocked down by strong winds killed a boy and a woman camping with an adventure program in a northern Minnesota forest.
A statement from the Scouts says the storm came unexpectedly through Charles L Sommers Canoe Base in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness early Thursday. The boy and a volunteer from the Northern Tier High Adventure Base Program were killed. Two other campers were hurt and evacuated to a hospital by Canadian emergency crews, but the Scouts say their injuries are not life-threatening.
The Scouts say they are working with authorities to notify the families of those involved.
Nine people involved in the program were camping at Basswood Lake near the Canadian border, including three adults and six boys, when storms hit the area.
The Scouts will offer grief counseling to their members and volunteers.
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11:30 p.m.
A Boy Scouts leader says a boy and a woman died and two other campers were injured when damaging storms slammed northern Minnesota.
John Van Dreese says the boy and the volunteer from the Northern Tier High Adventure Base Program were killed while camping in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Van Dreese is the general manager of the program which is part of the Boy Scouts of America.
He says nine people involved in the program were camping at Basswood Lake near the Canadian border, including three adults and six boys, when storms hit the area.
He provided no details of how they died.
St. Louis County Lt. Nate Skelton says the injured were evacuated by air. Van Dreese says authorities were working on evacuating the remaining campers.
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9:20 a.m.
Emergency responders worked to evacuate several injured campers from the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota where a strong storm knocked down trees and caused other damage.
St. Louis County Sheriff's Lt. Nate Skelton says two or three campers suffered injuries in the storm early Thursday, including one who was taken from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness by seaplane. A medical helicopter was staging at Moose Lake to transport another injured camper.
Skelton says the injured people are among nine campers at Basswood Lake who will be evacuated as crews work to clear trees in order to reach them.
The storm which packed destructive winds knocked down trees and power lines elsewhere in Minnesota, leaving tens of thousands of people without service from Duluth to the Twin Cities on what could be the hottest day of the year.
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6:50 a.m.
A strong storm with destructive winds has knocked down trees and power lines in Minnesota.
In Duluth, officials advised against travel early Thursday because of dangerous power lines and debris in the streets. Tens of thousands of customers lost power from Duluth to the Twin Cities on what could be the hottest day of the year.
In Beltrami County, crews were out clearing roads of debris. Sirens were sounded early Thursday when the National Weather Service warned of a thunderstorm with winds of up to 80 miles per hour. Sheriff's officials say they have no reports of serious injuries.
Authorities urged citizens to take it slow when clearing debris because of the dangerous heat and humidity.
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