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Second victim feared killed as hurricane Harvey sweeps through Texas

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Second victim feared killed as hurricane Harvey sweeps through Texas

Hurricane Harvey, the most powerful storm to have hit the American city of Texas in more than 50 years, has claimed its second victim.

The first unidentified victim passed away on Friday night, in a house fire in the town of Rockport, 30 miles (48 km) north of Corpus Christi, while the second was identified as a woman who was killed as she drove through flooded streets on Houston’s west side, a Houston police officer said.

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According to reports, another dozen people in the area suffered injuries like broken bones since the powerful storm struck, knocking out power to more than 230,000 people and threatening catastrophic flooding.

Harvey slammed into Texas late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 130 miles per hour (209 km per hour), making it the strongest storm to hit the state since 1961. It has since lingered over Houston, dumping 2-3 inches of rain an hour onto the city.

The storm ripped off roofs, snapped trees, triggered tornadoes and flash floods and cut off power to some 232,000 people, mostly in the Houston area, on Saturday night. It also largely curtailed oil and gas production in the state, prompting price hikes at the pumps.

 

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