Man records tornado destroying his own house while still in it

As tornadoes ripped through Washington, Illinois and several other Midwest towns on Sunday, resident Marc Wells stood aghast at the damage to his home.

Wells recorded a video as he and his daughter Josie watched the tornado approach in awe, took cover for the hit and then surveyed the destruction to his property afterward, documenting moments of pain and terror that have now been viewed nearly 30,000 times on YouTube.

"Very thankful we were not injured," Wells wrote in the video description. Here's what he saw.

Please note, this video contains some strong language.

Others have also recorded videos of the area tornadoes as they approached their homes and workplaces, eventually destroying more than 1,000 homes in Washington alone, according to ABC News.

ABC reported at least six people died in Illinois and dozens were injured.

First hand accounts also came from a newspaper editor in the Washington area, Jeannette Kendall, and a local resident who submitted a video to CNN in which he prays as the tornado demolishes his neighbourhood.

Kendall wrote that she was eating breakfast with her parents at the Washington Family restaurant, and then moments later, huddling in the bathroom for cover with a small crowd of other petrified people.

She made it out safely, driving through debris and under a toppled line to get home.