At least four people were killed and several others injured after suspected tornadoes tore through parts of southwestern Michigan, authorities said.

In Branch County, the sheriff’s office reported that a suspected tornado struck the Union Lake area, leaving three people dead and at least 12 injured. Three of the injured were taken to hospitals for treatment.

In neighboring Cass County, officials said another suspected tornado touched down near Edwardsburg late Friday afternoon, killing one person and injuring several others.

Local authorities said the storms caused widespread destruction across the region. Multiple homes and barns were damaged, with some structures suffering major structural impacts or being completely destroyed.

The National Weather Service had issued tornado warnings for parts of southern Michigan earlier Friday, including alerts for a large and “extremely dangerous” tornado south of Kalamazoo.

Officials also reported significant storm damage in the city of Three Rivers, while Union City experienced extensive destruction from the severe weather.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the state had launched an “all-hands-on-deck response” to the disaster as emergency crews worked to assist affected communities.

The storms struck as nearly 70 million Americans across several states faced the threat of severe weather heading into the weekend, following a series of powerful storms that had already caused fatalities in Oklahoma.