Three people killed and one missing after tornadoes strike Texas town

Homes in Perryton, 110 miles north of Amarillo, reduced to rubble and power was cut in the aftermath of the storm

At least three people were killed and more than 50 others were injured Thursday when a tornado struck the Texas Panhandle city of Perryton, officials said.

The tornado hit Perryton, which has a population of around 8,500, around 5:10 p.m., said Trent Hoffeditz, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Amarillo.

Perryton Fire Chief Paul Dutcher said three people have been confirmed dead. A trailer park took a direct hit.

The county, which includes Pensacola, was hit with flash flooding emergencies overnight, leading to high water rescues, the National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama, reported early Friday, citing local rescuers.

“It’s bad, it’s very bad. It’s non-stop crazy. It couldn’t have hit in a more vulnerable place,” mayor Kerry Symons said by telephone, adding that he would be unable to say exactly how many people had died until Friday morning.

It was the second day in a row that powerful storms struck the US. On Wednesday, strong winds toppled trees, damaged buildings and blew cars off a highway from the eastern part of Texas to Georgia.