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Officials have identified the husband and wife killed Thursday morning when a tornado rushed through a crowded campground on the Delmarva Peninsula, injuring at least 36 people.

Lord Balatbat and Lolibeth Ortega died when a falling tree crushed their tent, Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said. Their 13-year-old son was staying in a nearby tent and sustained life-threatening injuries.

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Luis Balatbat Jr., 47, told The Jersey Journal that his family was shocked to learn of the death of his brother and sister-in-law.

"We are a close family, and this is very bad for us," he said.

Lord Balatbat's father, Luis Balatbat, 78, told the newspaper that all three of the couple's children are hospitalized. He said his grandson is in a coma, his 12-year-old granddaughter suffered a leg and ear injury, and his 7-year-old granddaughter was struck in the stomach by a tree limb.

"I'm struggling," the grandfather said. "I wanted to go there, but my doctor said do not go there because I am not well enough to travel. My wife is the same way."

The couple has been married 14 years and both were born in the Philippines, the newspaper reported.

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The storm overturned recreational vehicles and downed numerous trees at Cherrystone Family Camping & RV Resort, a 300-acre playground of swimming pools, mini-golf, pier fishing, crabbing and other activities on the state's Eastern Shore. The campground is located near Cape Charles, a small town about 40 miles north of Norfolk on the Chesapeake Bay side of the peninsula.

Personnel from the NWS office in Wakefield, Virginia, sent a survey crew to the scene and concluded the damage was caused by an EF1 tornado as well as straight-line wind damage. This is the first time there have been lives lost to a tornado in Virginia since April 27, 2011. NWS investigators said the tornado was on the ground for about 8 miles, though part of that path was over water.

According to a post on the Northampton County website, a count of residents and visitors Wednesday night showed 1,328 people were at the campground.

"We are all saddened by the reports of injuries and lives lost in this storm and will continue to offer our thoughts and prayers to the Virginia families who were affected, along with whatever support is necessary to help these communities move forward," said Gov. Terry McAuliffe in a statement released Thursday afternoon by his office.

Speaking a few dozen yards away from where the tornado deaths occurred, Gov. Terry McAuliffe said Friday it's a blessing more people didn't die in the storm given the short notice that campers had to seek shelter.

"This was a very freak accident that occurred here," McAuliffe said of the storm. "It's an incredible sight to see."

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In a news release, Northampton County officials said the storm inflicted heavy damage.

"Currently all EMS, fire, and public safety resources of the county and towns are fully deployed in the area helping with evacuation or treatment of injured persons," the news release said.

Virginia Department of Emergency Management Spokeswoman Laura Southard says multiple agencies including Virginia State Police are responding to the scene.

Jay Diem, a photographer with Eastern Shore News that's near the scene, told The Associated Press that the road to the campground was blocked by police following the storm.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the area at 8:20 a.m., valid until 9 a.m. Thursday. The storm hit the campground at approximately 8:40 a.m. as it moved east from Chesapeake Bay.

According to NOAA, fewer than 2 percent of all tornadoes in the U.S. occur in the hour between 8 and 9 a.m. local time. However, in the Southeast climate region, including Virginia, about 3 percent do. The most likely hour for tornadoes in the Southeast is between 3 and 4 p.m., when about 10 percent of all Southeastern tornadoes occur.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.