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Texas tornado kills at least six Texas tornadoes kill at least six people and leave dozens injured
(about 7 hours later)
At least six people have been killed in a spring tornado outbreak that has destroyed or damaged dozens of homes and injured dozens of people in parts of Texas. A rash of tornadoes slammed into several small communities in Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens more injured and hundreds homeless. The violent spring storm scattered bodies, flattened homes, threw trailers onto cars.
The worst-hit city was Granbury, where authorities say a deadly tornado tore through two neighbourhoods at about 8pm on Wednesday. Sheriff Roger Deeds told a midnight news conference that six people had died. In Granbury, the worst-hit city, a tornado tore through two neighborhoods around 8pm local time Wednesday. Resident Elizabeth Tovar described the fist-sized hail that heralded the tornado's arrival, prompting her and her family to hide in their bathroom.
"Some were found in houses. Some were found around houses," he said adding that the toll could climb as crews picked through the rubble of destroyed homes. "We were all, like, hugging in the bathtub and that's when it started happening. I heard glass shattering and I knew my house was going," Tovar said, shaking her head. "We looked up and the whole ceiling was gone."
About 50 people were taken to a Granbury hospital, where 14 were admitted for treatment of injuries and two were transferred to a hospital in Fort Worth, about 35 miles to the north-east, Deeds said. The powerful storm crushed buildings as it tore through the area, leaving some as just piles of planks and rubble. Trees and debris were scattered across yards, fences flattened.
As many as 100 people were injured, said Matt Zavadsky, a spokesman for MedStar Mobile Healthcare. His company sent three ambulances and a medical bus from its Fort Worth base to Granbury. Behind one house, a detached garage was stripped of most of its aluminum siding, the door caved in and the roof torn off. A tree behind the house was stripped of its branches and a vacant doublewide mobile home on an adjoining lot was torn apart.
Deeds said officials were trying to account for 14 people, but it was not clear if they were missing or away from the area for other reasons. Hood County sheriff Roger Deeds described the devastating aftermath and the hunt for bodies in Granbury, southwest of Fort Worth.
Hardest hit were two neighbourhoods in the southern end of the town of about 8,000 residents 65 miles south-west of Dallas. "Some were found in houses. Some were found around houses," Deeds said. "There was a report that two of these people that they found were not even near their homes. So we're going to have to search the area out there."
The same storm spawned another tornado that eyewitnesses told the National Weather Service was a mile wide. It tore through the south-western quadrant of Cleburne, about 25 miles south-east of Granbury. Deeds said around midnight that 14 people were still missing but mayor pro tem Nin Hulett told ABC's Good Morning America on Thursday morning that he believed most residents had been accounted for.
The Cleburne mayor, Scott Cain, said there were no reports of deaths "but we do have the potential for some injuries". Deeds said about 50 people were taken to a hospital in Granbury. Yet more gathered at a local elementary school where paramedics provided on-site treatment. Matt Zavadsky, a spokesman for MedStar Mobile Healthcare, estimated that as many as 100 people were injured.
Cain had no estimate on the number of homes damaged, but said he expected the number to soar into the dozens having inspected everything from roof damage to total destruction. Utilities said about 20,000 homes and businesses were without power early Thursday.
Another tornado that storm spotters told the National Weather Service was a mile wide tore through Cleburne, a courthouse city of about 30,000 southeast of Granbury.
Cleburne mayor Scott Cain said early Thursday that no one was killed or seriously hurt, although seven people suffered minor injuries. He estimated that dozens of homes were damaged and declared a local disaster.
In one neighborhood, a trucking company trailer that had been parked on the street was picked up and dropped onto a nearby car and garage.
Another tornado hit the small town of Millsap, west of Fort Worth. Parker County judge Mark Kelley said roof damage was reported to several houses and a barn was destroyed, but no injuries were reported.
Hail as large as grapefruit also pelted the area around Mineral Wells on Wednesday evening. A police dispatcher reported only minor damage.
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