More than a dozen people hurt in Texas tornadoes
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E-mail Xinhua, April 4, 2012
More than a dozen people were wounded when multiple tornadoes slammed the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the U.S. state of Texas on Tuesday, local media reported.
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More than a dozen people were wounded when multiple tornadoes slammed the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the U.S. state of Texas on Tuesday, local media reported. |
At least two twisters touched down near Dallas and Fort Worth Tuesday afternoon, crushing homes and sending thousands of North Texans scrambling to take cover, according to the reports.
Widespread damage was reported, as tornadoes and violent storms overturned trucks, damaged buildings and cut off power to thousands of homes and businesses in the the Dallas and Fort Worth area, the country's fourth-most-populous metropolitan area with over 6 million people.
In suburban Dallas, 10 people were reportedly injured, two of them in critical conditions. In Arlington city, three people were injured.
Television footage from CNN shows truck trailers being lifted and tossed like toys. Ominous clouds filled the sky.
"911 (emergency services) is going off the wall, with people calling in, sightings of tornadoes, possible sightings of tornado as of up to about 20 minutes ago," Lieutenant Tim Jones of Johnson County Sheriff's Office told CNN.
"Now we get people calling to make sure their relatives are okay," he said.
Schools across the affected area were huddling children in hallways. Passengers at DFW International Airport were rushed to safe areas.
David Magana, a spokesman for the airport, told CNN that the federal authorities had issued a ground stop, demanding all flights headed to Dallas be held on the ground at their airports of origin.
Airport officials ordered passengers away from windows and directed them into stairwells and restrooms, said Magana.
More than 110 aircraft sustained damage from hail, 400 departures were canceled and 40 incoming flights were diverted, according to a statement from the airport.
Meanwhile, severe damage was reported in Arlington, Texas, and the mayor of the city signed a disaster declaration.
"It's extensive damage," said Tiara Richard, a spokeswoman for Arlington police. No major injuries have been reported so far, but affected areas were still being searched for people who may be trapped, she said.
About 40 homes in the city sustained moderate damage, officials said.
A nearby city, Kennedale, also reportedly suffered damage.
The tornado season in the U.S. has started early this year. Tornadoes have since the beginning of this year caused over 50 deaths in the Midwest and South states of the country.
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