Tornadoes Hit Southern United States, Leaving at Least 15 Dead
At least 15 people were killed in the southern United States, according to authorities, after powerful tornadoes struck the states of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas from Saturday night to Sunday.
Rescue teams continued their search operations on Sunday to try to find and locate potential survivors under the debris of buildings destroyed by the severe weather, which also caused significant power outages.
The U.S. Weather Service recorded a total of 25 tornadoes on Saturday.
In northern Dallas, Texas, a tornado killed at least 7 people, according to Ray Sappington, sheriff of Cooke County.
He told “The Weather Channel” that “unfortunately, this number will increase,” explaining that search operations were still ongoing amidst “significant damage” on the ground.
Sappington was speaking from a highway hit by the storm, while dozens of people had taken refuge in a gas station for shelter. He added that “many” people had been injured.
Two people were killed in western Oklahoma due to another tornado, according to local television reports.
In Arkansas, these weather phenomena caused the deaths of 5 people, according to authorities cited by a local channel. Footage showed images of destroyed buildings, downed power poles, and uprooted tree branches.
The bad weather disrupted the start of the 108th edition of the Indianapolis 500-mile race, and the organizers asked spectators to leave the premises.
About 500,000 homes were without power on Sunday from Texas in the south to Ohio in the north, and storm warnings were still in effect on Sunday.
