A tornado ripped through the Texas Panhandle town of Perryton, killing 3 people, injuring dozens more and causing widespread damage as another in a series of fierce storms carved its way through Southern states.

The National Weather Service in Amarillo confirmed that a tornado hit the area Thursday afternoon. But there was no immediate word on its size or wind speeds, meteorologist Luigi Meccariello said: “There are still reports of ongoing rescues”.

Perryton Fire Chief Paul Dutcher told Amarillo TV station ABC 7 that a person was killed in a mobile home park that took a “direct hit” from a tornado. Dutcher said at least 30 trailers were damaged or destroyed. At 6 p.m., firefighters were rescuing people from the rubble.

First responders from surrounding areas and from Oklahoma descended on the town, which is home to more than 8,000 people and about 115 miles northeast of Amarillo, just south of the Oklahoma line.

Nearly 50,000 customers were without electricity in Texas and Oklahoma.