At least 3 killed after tornado hits small town in U.S. Texas amid heat wave

 

June 23

At least three people were killed and multiple others injured after a tornado on Wednesday night hit Matador, a small town in south central U.S. state of Texas, as oppressive heat wave continues scorching much of the state, authorities said.

"There was definitely a tornado" that struck Matador around 8 p.m. Wednesday (0100 GMT on Thursday) but its strength and rating won't be known until surveys are done, Matt Ziebell, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Lubbock, was quoted by NBC News as saying.

"Definitely buildings and some vehicles were pretty severely damaged," Ziebell said.

Matador Mayor Pat Smith told The New York Times the tornado killed at least three people and damaged about a dozen buildings in the northern Texas town of some 600 residents.

Brandon Moore, senior water superintendent for Matador, told NBC News that at least 20 businesses and homes were destroyed.

Meanwhile, a highway west of town was impassible due to damage from the tornado, said the Texas Department of Transportation.

Three people were killed and dozens more injured last week after a tornado with peak winds of 140 mph struck Perryton, a city in northern Texas near the Oklahoma border.

xinhua