All the victims of Tuesday's storms were pulled from the ruins of a tavern in the Illinois river town of Utica, 145 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Chicago.

The 100-year-old, two-story, sandstone building was flattened by one in a series of twisters that cut a swath through parts of Illinois and Indiana late Tuesday, ripping roofs off buildings, blowing out windows, and overturning silos and 18-wheeler trucks.

The victims ranged in age from 18 to 81 and most were found in the basement of the Milestone Tavern, according to Utica mayor Fred Esmond, who speculated that some of the town's residents took shelter there when they heard that the twisters were headed their way.

"It's sad," Esmond said. "They went there for safety from a trailer park and the trailer park didn't get hit."

Three of the victims were reportedly residents of the nearby trailer park.

The twister that devastated this historic Illinois community of about 1,000 may have been an F3, packing winds of up to 331 kilometers (206 miles) per hour, according to a preliminary assessment by the National Weather Service.

As many as 51 tornados were said to have touched down Tuesday, in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, meteorologists said.

The governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, declared four Illinois counties a disaster zone, making them eligible for emergency state aid.

TERRA.WIRE