At least 15 killed as powerful tornadoes devastate Texas town, blast Oklahoma and Arkansas

At least 15 people, including two young kids, are dead after a powerful tornado barreled through rural Texas Saturday night and caused a crowded gas station where people were taking shelter to collapse — leaving an additional 80 people injured as officials warn the death toll is likely “going to go up.”

The tornado in Valley View — about 60 miles north of Dallas — was just one of several devastating twisters reported across the Lone Star State, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Seven deaths were reported in Cooke County, Texas, near the Oklahoma border, where a tornado Saturday night plowed through a rural area near a mobile home park, officials said. Storms also killed two people and destroyed houses in Oklahoma, where the injured included guests at an outdoor wedding. Tens of thousands of residents were without power across the region.

At least five people were killed in Arkansas, including a 26-year-old woman who was found dead outside a destroyed home in Olvey, a small community in Boone County, according to Daniel Bolen of the county’s emergency management office. Another person died in Benton County, and two more bodies were found in Marion County. In Oklahoma, two people died in Mayes County, east of Tulsa, officials said.

Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington confirmed seven people were killed in the severe overnight storm that struck a trailer park and the AP Travel Center, which includes as Shell gas station and restaurants south of town — injuring between 60 and 80 people taking shelter inside.

At least two children, a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old were among the dead, Sappington said Sunday morning, according to Fox 4 News.

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Dozens of panicked drivers had pulled into the gas station to get off the road during the dangerous weather, only to be caught directly in the path of the tornado.

Numerous people had to be rescued after being trapped inside, but everyone survived.

“I can also tell you that number is going to go up,” Sappington told WFAA of the death toll. “I don’t want to speculate and give you a number.”

Search-and-rescue efforts remain underway at the gas station and in a nearby neighborhood.

“It took some time to get back in there because of all the damage with the power lines, and trees were down. It was kind of a monumental task just to get back to where they were,” Sappington added.

The mobile home park was especially devastated by the twister.

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“This took a major hit. There is not much left of it,” he said.

Elsewhere, in Pryor, Oklahoma, outside Tulsa, least two people were killed and five others were injured, News on 6 reported .

In Claremore, about 17 miles away, a tornado devetated the town and wrecked a KOA campground, though only minor injuries were reported there, according to the station.

In Texas, Sappington urged locals to stay away from the storm damage, noting numerous reports of downed power lines and gas leaks that could cause serious injury if encountered.

Still, the sheriff was confident in their ability to come back from the serious deadly storm.

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“We’ll rebuild,” he said. “It’s Texas. We can rebuild property, and as horrible as this looks, in two or three months, it won’t look like this [then]. It’ll be better. But the loss of life is just tragic. It’s always tragic. That’s what hurts the most.”

Two children were also reported missing in Cooke County following the storm, Sappington said.

Forecasters had issued tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of both states Saturday, as heat records were broken over the long holiday weekend.

As the storm moved through the region it overturned motorhomes brought down powerlines and trees and made some roads completely inaccessible.

On Saturday night the National Weather Service’s office in Norman, Oklahoma, warned areas north of Oklahoma City to “take cover now!” In a follow-up post at 10:05 p.m., the agency noted the storms had left the area and were headed across north Texas.

By 10:24 p.m. the weather service office in Fort Worth began to warn of the storm moving through the region, issuing a severe thunderstorm warning with possible “golf-ball-sized hail.”

The Norman office had compared conditions Saturday to “ a gasoline-soaked brush pile” and forecasters warned storms would likely come with large hail, dangerous winds and tornadoes.

The storm system was expected to move east as Memorial Day weekend continues, bringing rain that could delay the Indianapolis 500 auto race Sunday and more severe storms in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky.

The risk of severe weather is expected to move into North Carolina and Virginia on Monday, forecasters said.

With Post wires

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