/ 10 May 2006

Tornadoes rip through north Texas

Three people were killed and at least six injured when tornadoes moved through north Texas, a county official said on Wednesday.

At least one tornado touched down late on Tuesday near Anna, a town of about 6 500 residents about 60km north of Dallas, said Jamie Nicolay, of the Collin County homeland security and health-care services department.

Tornadoes were also reported in the Texas Panhandle town of Childress and in south-eastern Oklahoma, but no injuries were reported.

The North Texas victims were an elderly couple and a teenager, but their identities have not been released, Nicolay said. She did not know where they were when the tornado struck.

Six people were transported to area hospitals, she said. Their conditions were not available.

The storm destroyed at least six houses, Nicolay said, although full assessment of damage to the area was limited by darkness.

Power was out to about 300 homes.

A tornado in Childress knocked down a wall at the local high school, and broken power lines sparked treetop fires, officials said. Gas lines were broken and downed trees blocked roads, but there were no reports of injuries.

Three tornadoes touched down in south-eastern Oklahoma, along with apple-sized hail and street flooding, but no severe damage or injuries were immediately reported, officials said.

About 6 000 customers were without power in south-eastern Oklahoma and Oklahoma City before workers began restoring electricity. — Sapa-AP