In the southern US state of Texas, where officials and inhabitants were already dealing with a heat wave, a violent tornado killed at least four people and injured ten others.
In a statement, the fire department in neighboring Lubbock said, “The town of Matador has experienced an unprecedented tornado bringing damaging winds”.
“There are four confirmed fatalities & ten total injuries”, the statement reads.
According to the statement, due to the high temperatures, the city has opened a cooling center for people. Matador, with a population of around 600 people, is the main city in Motley County in north Texas.
Confirming the death toll, the US National Weather Service described significant damage on Matador’s west side, with some buildings severely damaged.
On Wednesday, at least four tornadoes were reported in Texas. Some cities in the state were also battered by rain and strong winds.
A similar storm devastated Perryton, also in North Texas, a week earlier, killing three people and wounding about 100. Storms and a severe heat wave have hit Texas and parts of the southern United States in recent days, with temperatures reaching 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius).
Several cities, like Lubbock and Houston, have established air-conditioned shelters.
This has also put a burden on the Texas power grid, which operates independently of the rest of the country and has witnessed significant demand owing to the heat, particularly in the afternoon hours.
According to Poweroutage.us, which tracks power outages around the country, more than 220,000 individuals were without power on Thursday.
Also read: Twin Tornadoes Touch Down In A US State, Bringing Golf Ball-Sized Hail
