Houston, June 16, 2023- At least three people were killed and more than 75 others injured after a tornado ripped through a small town in the US state of Texas, leaving behind extensive damage, officials confirmed.
The tornado hit Perryton, which has a population of around 8,500, at around 5.10 p.m. on Thursday evening, NBC News quoted Trent Hoffeditz, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Amarillo, as saying.
Perryton Fire Chief Paul Dutcher said that three people have been confirmed dead and that 75 to 100 had been seen at local hospitals.
Ochiltree General Hospital CFO Debbie Beck told CNN that between 50 to 100 injured people have been treated in a Perryton hospital.
Beck said the injuries range from “very minor” to “collapsed lungs, head injuries, and broken bones”.
No fatalities have been recorded, she said, adding that medics have been treating patients at the hospital without power.
Beck said the tornado struck the northeast part of Perryton and went down a portion of Main Street, causing extensive damage to homes and businesses.
The fire department and EMS were also hit and a trailer park sustained heavy damage, she added.
In response, the state of Texas as well as cities and counties surrounding Perryton have started sending aid.
Governor Greg Abbott’s office and the state’s Division of Emergency Management are mobilising resources, Representative Four Price said in a Facebook post.
“TDEM is moving everything that way. Search and Rescue, medical, etc.,” Price said, adding that multiple structures have been damaged and “the state is engaging additional medical help to triage”.
The Red Cross told CNN that it was also mobilising teams on the ground to support the people impacted in the tornado.
The tornado was reported on Thursday as tornado watches covered northern and central Texas and a large part of Oklahoma because of severe weather moving through the region, according to the National Weather Service.
Tornado watches remains for part of Texas. (Agency)
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