15 dead in tornadoes and storms in the US states of Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma

At least 15 people were killed in the central United States when tornadoes and other extreme storms hit several states including Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma, authorities said Sunday.

Rescue efforts were underway and hundreds of thousands of customers were without power after storms hit the Southern Plains region beginning Saturday night. In Texas, Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington said at a news conference that seven people died when a tornado ripped through the Valley View area north of Dallas, according to local ABC affiliate WFAA. Search and rescue efforts were underway.

Texas Governor Gregg Abbott signed a four-county executive order that frees up money and personnel to help people whose homes were damaged or destroyed. The tornado destroyed homes and a gas station and overturned vehicles on a highway. Sappington described the damage as “pretty extensive” in an interview with The Weather Channel.

In Oklahoma, at least two people were killed when a tornado hit Mayes County late Saturday night, county emergency management director Johnny Janzen told Fox News affiliate station Tulsa.

And in Arkansas, five people were killed in severe weather in the early hours of Sunday morning, authorities confirmed to local ABC station KATV. Power lines and trees were downed, and flash flooding occurred in some areas. Another death was reported in Louisville, Kentucky, Mayor Craig Greenberg said.

In northern Indiana, the start of the Indianapolis 500 was delayed by four hours on Sunday due to severe weather. Fans were asked to leave the stands and seek shelter. 125,000 spectators were expected to attend the race, one of the most symbolic car races in America.

As the storm moved across the country, nearly 490,000 homes were without power in states from Texas to Kansas and as far east as Ohio and Kentucky, according to the website Poweroutage.us. Tornado warnings were still in effect in several locations.