Tornadoes, storms kill 15 in central US

At least 15 people were killed as tornadoes and storms ripped through the central United States, destroying homes and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.

Seven people were killed in North Texas, five in Arkansas, two in Oklahoma and one in Kentucky. Dozens more were injured and about half a million people were left without power across several states on Sunday.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said more than a third of all counties in the state are now under a disaster declaration.

Cook County, Texas, Sheriff Ray Sappington said the deaths in his county included two children, ages 2 and 5, and three other members of the same family.

“There’s just no trace of debris left behind,” said the sheriff of Valley View, the area hardest hit by the powerful tornado. “The damage is pretty severe.”

Footage from the county showed gas stations and rest areas almost completely destroyed, with twisted pieces of metal strewn over damaged vehicles.

The tornado overturned a truck, closed a highway near Dallas and left tens of thousands of people without power across the region.

Meanwhile, thunder and heavy rain delayed Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 by four hours and forced the evacuation of about 125,000 spectators.

Frank Soltysiak, who lives in a mobile home park in North Texas, said his home was destroyed within minutes of the storm passing through.

Ms Soltysiak told the BBC’s US affiliate CBS News that she was at a nearby restaurant when the owner drove past in a car and “honked his horn and told everyone to get outside”.

He grabbed his dog, Sampson, and took refuge in the restaurant’s walk-in refrigerator.

“It was the safest building. I went outside and everything was destroyed,” he said.

“In just two minutes it was all gone.”

Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick said the state’s emergency response units had been mobilized to respond to the tornadoes.

“Please pray for these families,” he said of those who lost loved ones. “Their loss is immeasurable.”

The Texas storm coincided with record heat in parts of the state, with residents receiving triple-digit temperature warnings over Memorial Day weekend.

In Oklahoma, two people were killed and six injured in Mayes County, local emergency management officials told the BBC.

Authorities in Arkansas said a 26-year-old woman was found dead outside a destroyed home in Albay. The other of the state’s four deaths was reported in Benton County. The state also reported multiple injuries.

Police in Rogers, Arkansas, said they rescued several people who were trapped after the tornado downed trees and power lines and damaged gas lines.

Louisville, Kentucky Mayor Craig Greenberg confirmed on social media that a man was killed when a tree fell on him during severe storms on Sunday.

By Sunday afternoon, the storm had begun moving east, according to the National Weather Service, and high wind and hail warnings were issued for residents in its path.

“We have experienced a heart-wrenching loss of life, including the heartbreak of a family who lost a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old,” Governor Abbott said at a press conference.

“They had no way of knowing when they woke up yesterday that their family would literally be crushed by this terrible storm.”

About 470,000 people were without power from Texas through Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, according to the website Poweroutage.us.

A spokesman for Sedgwick County, Kansas, which includes Wichita, told CBS News that about 8,000 customers were without power as emergency services worked to remove downed trees and power lines caused by the storm.

The latest tornado follows another powerful one that struck a rural Iowa town in early May, killing four people.

Government forecasters also said the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which starts next month, will likely be “exceptional.”