TEHRAN, Iran — Relatives of two American men arrested more than two years ago in Iran said Sunday that the news they had received eight-year prison sentences for spying hit them hard, but they remain hopeful the men will eventually be released.

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were sentenced Saturday to three years for illegal entry into Iran and five years for spying for the United States.

The two were arrested in July 2009 near the Iraq-Iran border along with a third American, Sarah Shourd, who was released in September on $500,000 bail and returned to the U.S. All three deny the charges, saying they were only hiking near the ill-defined border.

Samantha Topping, spokeswoman for Bauer and Fattal’s families, sent a statement Sunday, saying their relatives had received confirmation of their sentences.

“Of the 751 days of Shane and Josh’s imprisonment, yesterday and today have been the most difficult for our families,” it said. “Shane and Josh are innocent and have never posed any threat to the Islamic Republic of Iran, its government or its people.”

Tornado slams Ontario townGODERICH, Ontario — A powerful tornado swept through a southwestern Ontario town on Sunday killing one person and causing severe devastation in the picturesque community on the shores of Lake Huron.It was the most powerful tornado to hit Ontario in years, officials said.Downtown businesses, century old buildings and several churches lost their roofs and upper floors as the twister ripped through Goderich.Randy Mawson of Environment Canada said the town was battered by winds of up to 300 kilometers per hour, considered an F2- or F3-level tornado. The province hasn’t seen a storm that powerful since 1996, he said.

Tainted vinegar blamed in deathsBEIJING — Vinegar tainted with antifreeze is suspected of killing 11 people and sickening 120 after a communal Ramadan meal in China’s far western region of Xinjiang.Investigators suspect the victims consumed vinegar that was put in two plastic barrels that had previously been used to store toxic antifreeze, the official Xinhua News Agency reported today.China’s food safety record has been battered by the rampant use of illegal or substandard additives by unscrupulous food producers. Milk powder laced with the industrial chemical melamine killed at least six children and sickened 300,000 in 2008.