On Thursday night, a lethal tornado swept across the town of Perryton, situated in northern Texas, as part of a fierce storm affecting the southern states of the US.
The town, located near the Oklahoma border, has experienced fatalities due to the tornado as reported by its mayor, although the exact death toll remains uncertain.
This tornado led to the destruction of communication towers and a trailer park.
Emergency crews from neighboring areas are being dispatched to help Perryton, a community of approximately 8,000 residents.
Perryton's Fire Chief, Paul Dutcher, disclosed that 75 individuals have been admitted to hospital.
According to Dutcher, a minimum of 30 trailers were squarely struck by the tornado, causing significant damage or total destruction.
Power outages have prompted the local Ochiltree General Hospital to run on generators, the hospital informed ABC News.
The tornado was first reported by the National Weather Service (NWS) to have touched ground at about 17:00 local time (23:00 BST) on Thursday.
Ronny Jackson, the Republican US Representative, expressed his prayers for Perryton's people through Twitter and stated that he, alongside his staff and the mayor, is keeping an eye on the developments.
Reports from local media hint at the possibility of multiple tornadoes striking the town.
The forecast suggests that the southern states will continue to face severe weather conditions during the weekend. Hail and destructive winds may hit the Plains and mid-south, but tornadoes can also be expected.
Hail and power outages have been tormenting the southern US since the previous Saturday. As per Poweroutage.us, roughly 43,000 people in Texas and Oklahoma were powerless on Thursday.
In Alabama's Abbeville and Eufaula, two tornadoes were reported on Wednesday.
The mayor of Eufaula reported that a tornado created an almost four-mile long destructive path through the town, causing the collapse of at least one building and toppling over 40 trees. As of now, no injuries or fatalities have been reported. This is the fourth time in as many years that the town has suffered a tornado strike, according to the mayor.
A collapsing house in the southwest of Georgia barely missed causing fatalities, as reported by the town's sheriff to local media.
Downed power lines and fallen trees were also reported throughout other parts of the state.
Much of the southern region continues to be under the threat of severe storms, as per the NWS. Officials have issued warnings about potential severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, intense winds, and flooding.
NWS meteorologist Juan Hernandez commented that the southern plains experiencing hailstorms for several consecutive days is unusually late in the year.
On the other hand, NWS reported that over 33 million people across Texas, Florida, and Louisiana were given heat advisories on Thursday.