At least 10 people were reported killed and many more injured by powerful storms that ripped through parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, leaving a trail of shattered buildings and wrecked vehicles.
Rescue workers were scouring the storm debris Sunday in a community of mobile homes north of Dallas and had confirmed five fatalities, according to Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington. The sheriff didn’t specify where the dead were found.
“Sadly, I think that number will rise,” Sappington told The Weather Channel.
Authorities in Arkansas and Oklahoma told The Associated Press there were another five people dead and more injured across the states. Two people died in Oklahoma and three more were killed in two Arkansas counties, local officials told the news service, adding that emergency response efforts were ongoing.
A tornado was spotted in the area near Valley View, Texas, about 60 miles northeast of downtown Dallas on Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth. Forecasters had warned earlier that severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and hail the size of golf balls were likely to pummel the region near the Texas-Oklahoma state line.
The storms also hit a travel center along an interstate highway where authorities said travelers had taken shelter. Television news footage showed police cruisers and ambulances gathered near a gas station that was reduced to piles of twisted metal. Cars and trucks could be seen amid the debris with their windows blown out.
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