A powerful winter storm tightening its grip on Texas has claimed the lives of at least nine people as of Wednesday, with several of the victims reported to be children. The severe weather has brought dangerous cold, icy conditions and widespread disruption across the state.
In North Texas, three young brothers drowned after falling through ice on a private pond near Bonham, roughly 60 miles northeast of Dallas. Authorities in Fannin County confirmed the boys were all under the age of 10. Their names have not been released.
In another tragic incident tied to the storm, police in the Dallas suburb of Frisco confirmed the deaths of two teenagers following a sledding accident. Investigators said the girls, identified as Elizabeth Angle and Gracie Brito, were riding on a sled being pulled by a vehicle when it crashed into a curb and then a tree on Sunday.
Central Texas also reported a fatality linked to the extreme cold. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said one person died from exposure over the weekend. Officials found the man in the parking lot of a permanently closed gas station, and initial findings indicate the death was related to the freezing temperatures.
In the Houston area, police said at least three people were found dead during the cold snap. Two of the bodies were discovered under a bridge and another in a city park. Authorities are still investigating whether exposure to the cold directly caused each of the deaths.
The storm’s impact extended beyond Texas as well. Six people connected to a Houston-based law firm were killed Sunday when a private business jet crashed in Maine during snowy conditions. Federal investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the crash, which occurred during takeoff.
Across the United States, the same storm system has been blamed for at least 50 deaths, according to reports from the Associated Press. Victims nationwide have died from hypothermia, traffic accidents and other weather-related causes.
The winter storm has disrupted daily life for millions of people, closing highways, grounding flights and prompting cities to open warming centers. Officials across Texas continue to urge residents to avoid unnecessary travel and to check on elderly and vulnerable neighbors. Data from FlightAware shows nearly 2,400 flights have been canceled at major airports in Dallas, Houston and Austin since Sunday.
