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Shell gas station.
A man has posted a video that he took of the moment a tornado hit the AP Travel Center Shell Gas Station in Valley View, Texas, on May 25.
Conner Stines wrote on X, “Last night, my sister and I were driving on I-35 when the Valley View tornado hit the gas station. We pulled into the gas station so that I could look at radar, and then we took shelter. That being said, here is a view from inside the Shell gas station! (Will upload to YT).”
He shared this video, which showed people inside the Shell station in a panic.
In the video, people rush to find cover inside the gas station before debris and wind break inside, and the screen goes dark, although people can still be heard in the background. Be forewarned that the video is very disturbing. The gas station is also called the Shell Gateway 50.
Fox Weather reported that at least seven people were killed and dozens were injured near Valley View, although it’s not clear how many of those people were at the Shell station. Fox4News reported, however, that none of the people who died were at the gas station.
“At 9:56 p.m. on May 25, 2024, a severe storm swept through Southern Cooke County, leaving a path of destruction along FM 922 to Rosston, south of Era, and onto the area at I-35 and Lone Oak Rd.,” Cooke County Emergency Management wrote on Facebook. “The storm has caused significant damage to numerous homes and businesses, including the Gateway AP Travel Center, which received major damage. Emergency services are actively searching the debris for missing persons, and there have been numerous injuries of varying degrees reported.”
Video Also Emerged Showing the Damage to the Shell Gas Station From the Outside
Other videos showed the damage left by the tornado. Videos also showed the rescue efforts.
Fox4 reporter Peyton Yager also shared photos of the damage to the AP Travel Center/Shell Gas Station and reported that “dozens took shelter Saturday evening” in the gas station.
A storm team unit for KAMCNews shared more photos of the damage and wrote, “Been doing search & assist for hours now after a #tornado demolished a shell gas station with tons of people inside near Valley View, Tx. Another building to the north with just a concrete slab left. So sad!”
A Witness Described the situation Inside the Shell Station as ‘One in a Lifetime,’ & ‘a Crazy Moment’
Alexander Rodriguez was inside the Shell gas station.
He told Fox4 that the “sheet rock, all the roof came down. It was a crazy moment, crazy experience. One in a lifetime.”
The station reported that 30 to 40 people took cover inside the store and some were injured. Rodriguez told Fox4 that people put children inside the bathroom, adding, “There were a lot of kids crying. We covered them with what we could find.”
The New York Post reported that the death total is at least 11 people if you include deaths in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Valley View, Texas, is located about an hour from Dallas.