At least nine people have died in Texas as a winter storm continued to grip the state Wednesday, with a majority of the victims being children.
Among the dead are three young brothers in North Texas who drowned after falling through ice on a private pond near Bonham, about 60 miles northeast of Dallas. The boys, all under 10 years old, were not publicly named by the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office.
Police in the Dallas suburb of Frisco also confirmed two teenagers died after a sledding accident linked to the storm. Investigators said the teens, Elizabeth Angle and Gracie Brito, were riding on a sled being pulled by a vehicle when it struck a curb and a tree on Sunday.
In Central Texas, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said at least one person died from exposure to the cold over the weekend. A man was found dead in the parking lot of a permanently closed Shell gas station, and officials said the death appeared to be related to the extreme cold.
A Houston police spokesperson told The Texas Newsroom on Wednesday that at least three people were found dead during the cold snap — two under a bridge and another in a park — though investigators have not yet confirmed whether cold exposure was a factor in each case.
Beyond the winter storm’s direct effects on Texas, six people tied to a Houston law firm were killed Sunday in a private business jet crash in Maine during snowy conditions. Federal investigators are still working to determine what caused the aircraft to go down during takeoff.
Nationally, the storm system has killed at least 50 people, according to reporting from the Associated Press. Fatalities have been linked to hypothermia, traffic crashes and other weather-related incidents.
The storm has disrupted daily life for millions across Texas and the country, closing roads, delaying travel and forcing cities to open warming centers as officials urged residents to limit travel and check on vulnerable neighbors. According to FlightAware, nearly 2,400 flights have been canceled at major Texas airport hubs in Dallas, Houston and Austin since Sunday.
