A powerful tornado ripped through a small Kansas town on Tuesday evening leaving eight people injured, two critically.

The twister, classified as EF-3, touched down in Eureka just before 7.30pm on Tuesday.

Kansas Adjutant General's Office spokeswoman Jane Welch said 175 structures, including the high school, were damaged but all of the town's 2,400 residents were accounted for.

Eight people were injured, two critically, after a tornado touched down in a small Kansas town on Tuesday evening

Just before 7.30pm on Tuesday a twister touched down in Eureka, 60 miles east of Wichita

Kansas Adjutant General's Office spokeswoman Jane Welch said 175 structures, including the high school, were damaged

Eight people had to be hospitalized, officials confirmed. Two of them were listed as critical.

Gov. Jeff Colyer declared a state of disaster emergency for Greenwood County, which includes Eureka. The town is about 60 miles east of Wichita.

'Eureka sustained a direct hit from a tornado,' Greenwood County Emergency Management tweeted soon after the tornado struck. 'Shelter at Methodist Church. No volunteers are needed right now. The area has power lines down and is not safe.'

This is the second time in two years that the town has taken a direct hit from a tornado.

The twister, part of a strong band of storms that ripped through the central U.S., left 5,000 people without power at its peak. By Wednesday, about 3,500 were still without power, according to Westar Energy.

The National Weather Service said that the tornado was on the ground for over two miles and went straight through town. The Weather Service has not yet determined the wind speeds of the latest tornado.

In July 2016, an EF-32 tornado hit Eureka, damaging nearly 100 homes.

There are 2,400 residents in the small Kansas town, and all were accounted for

One resident said the tornado came without warning and she grabbed her mom and son and hid in the hallway of her home

Damage forced the closure of a large section of U.S. 54 for several hours after the tornado. Welch said the Kansas Department of Transportation cleared the roadway and the highway was open again.

There were reports of 11 tornadoes across central US. on Tuesday. Some hit Wisconsin, Missouri, Illinois and North Carolina.

Kayte Hamilton told the Wichita Eagle that two of her relatives were among the injured. She said the twister 'came with no warning' and she grabbed her mom and her 11-year-old son and hid in the hallway as trees were uprooted and thrown across yards and roofs were ripped off of homes.

'It was just like you would see on the Wizard of Oz,' she said. 'Part our roof is in the neighbor's tree'.