A tornado ripped across the US-Mexico border, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more, local authorities and media said on Wednesday. Six people were killed in the small Texas town of Eagle Pass, officials said. Three others were killed in Mexico a few miles (kilometers) away, television station KDFW in Dallas reported.
The tornado struck Eagle Pass, at about 6:00 pm (2200 GMT) on Tuesday evening, destroying some 20 homes, an elementary school and a sewage treatment plant, local television stations reported.
"We have six confirmed fatalities," a spokeswoman for the mayor, Chad Foster, told AFP.
Some 81 people were treated for injuries at a local hospital, including four who suffered critical injuries, the mayor's office said.
State authorities deployed National Guard units to help with search and clean-up efforts, local media reported.
The mayor's office said three shelters had been opened for those who lost their homes.
The same storm system that produced the tornado also had caused flash flooding elsewhere in Texas, with television footage showing people wading through waist-deep water after being rescued from flooded cars or homes.
Numerous flights were delayed or cancelled in and out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport due to the storm.
