Texas tornadoes leave eight dead

Tornadoes have swept through the Dallas area in Texas, leaving substantial damage and at least eight people dead, in the latest in a succession of freakish winter weather events across the US.

The Texas tornadoes that touched down after dark on Saturday followed days of tumultuous weather in the south-east, including unusual winter tornadoes that left 18 people dead there over the Christmas period.

National Weather Service meteorologist Anthony Bain in Fort Worth said several tornadoes touched down in the Dallas area, although the full extent of damage was not yet known.

The storms left homes had roofs blown away, vehicles mangled or turned upside down, churches damaged, power lines down, natural gas lines burst, trees toppled and debris strewn. The damage stretched over a 40-mile-long area.

Joe Harn, police spokesman for Garland, about 20 miles north-east of Dallas, said five people were killed in vehicle accidents during the massive storm.

Three other people died in Collin County, about 45 miles north-east of Dallas, according to sheriff’s deputy Chris Havey.

The twisters were accompanied by torrential rain, wind and some hail.

Elsewhere in Texas, a snow storm was expected to leave up to 16 inches of snow through Sunday evening.

In the south-east, two more deaths linked to weather were reported on Saturday in Mississippi, bringing that state’s death toll from severe weather over Christmas to 10.

Late on Saturday, one death was reported in Alabama.

Flash flooding closed roads across Alabama and trapped motorists in rapidly rising waters.

Six people were killed in Tennessee, including three who were found in a car submerged in a creek.