At least 2 dead after tornado hits U.S. Oklahoma

HOUSTON, April 19 (Xinhua) -- At least two people were killed and several others injured on Wednesday night after a "large and extremely dangerous tornado" tore through Cole, a town in southern central U.S. state Oklahoma, authorities said.

The McClain County Sheriff's Office confirmed at least two deaths in Cole, located 30 miles south of Oklahoma City, the state capital.

The office said on Facebook that it's responding to "reported injuries &persons entrapped within their shelters."

The town has been "hit significantly," said Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Eric Foster.

Power lines were down and there were outages in the town on Wednesday night, according to an ABC News report. Damage also included the destruction of a building used as a wedding venue.

By Thursday, a line of severe storms is forecast to stretch from Austin in the southern state of Texas, to St. Louis in the midwestern state of Missouri, packing damaging winds and large hail, said the report.