IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Serious Injuries Reported After Tornado Hits Texas Drilling Rig

A tornado touched down in northwestern Texas Wednesday, damaging a gas drilling rig and resulting in serious injuries.
Get more newsLiveon

A tornado touched down in northwestern Texas Wednesday, damaging a gas drilling rig and resulting in serious injuries, the Hemphill County Sheriff’s Office and a hospital official said.

The number and severity of the injuries after the twister touched down north of Canadian was not immediately released. The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado at 5:20 p.m. local time and warned people to take shelter.

Three people were taken to Hemphill County Hospital with injuries from severe weather near Canadian, and two of those were transported to an Amarillo hospital in critical condition, Hemphill County Hospital Chief Executive Christi Francis said. The third patient remained at Hemphill and was described as stable Wednesday night.

The tornado north of Canadian, Texas, a town of about 2,600 people in the northeast corner of the Panhandle, comes as other parts of the state have been hammered by heavy rains that have killed at least 14 people in central and southeastern parts of the state, including Houston.

RELATED: Death Toll Rises in Texas as More Bodies Identified After Storms

The National Weather Service said thunderstorms in the Texas Panhandle and the Oklahoma Panhandle are possible Wednesday night, with the potential for damaging hail and winds.

More rain fell Wednesday on Houston, where six people died in flooding after weekend storms, but the National Weather Service the chance for more thunderstorms Wednesday night and Thursday morning remains low.

The deaths of seven people in Oklahoma have been blamed on severe weather since Friday, authorities have said. One of those deaths was caused by a tornado that struck Bryan County on Monday, officials said.

— Phil Helsel