Tornado devastates Texas Panhandle town, killing 3 and injuring dozens

Texas [US], June 16 : A tornado ripped through the Texas Panhandle town of Perryton on Thursday, killing three people, injuring dozens more and causing widespread damage as another in a series of fierce storms carved its way through Southern states.

The National Weather Service in Amarillo confirmed that a tornado hit the area on Thursday afternoon. But there was no immediate word on its size or wind speeds, meteorologist Luigi Meccariello said.

Perryton Fire Chief Paul Dutcher told reporters that three people were killed in the storm.

He said at least one person was killed in a mobile home park that took a "direct hit" from a tornado. Dutcher said at least 30 trailers were damaged or destroyed. At 6 pm, firefighters were rescuing people from the rubble.

First responders from surrounding areas and from Oklahoma descended on the town, which is home to more than 8,000 people and about 115 miles (185 kilometers) northeast of Amarillo, just south of the Oklahoma line.

Nearly 50,000 customers were without electricity in Texas and Oklahoma, according to the poweroutage.us website.

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. (ANI/WAM)