Louisiana governor says 2 dead in tornado in Ruston

RUSTON, La. — A tornado killed two people as it tore through the northern Louisiana city of Ruston early Thursday, Gov. John Bel Edwards said.

The tornado caused severe damage to buildings, vehicles and power lines and forced a local university to cancel classes.

National Weather Service hydrologist C. S. Ross said it appears the tornado cut a track over 130 miles (209 kilometers) from eastern Texas to near the Louisiana-Arkansas border.

News outlets report that Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker said the city was directly hit by a tornado overnight.

Louisiana Tech University President Les Guice said on Twitter that classes were canceled Thursday. The university said no students were reported injured, but that trees and power lines were down in several places on campus.

The tornado was part of a severe weather system that pounded Texas with rain Wednesday, killing a woman and her two children whose vehicle was caught in flash flood waters.

The storm moved into Mississippi on Thursday morning.

Edwards said on Twitter that state police and the Louisiana National Guard were assisting local responders “following a tornado in Ruston this morning that has killed two people.” The governor said he was travelling to Ruston to assess the damage.