3 Dead After 'Erratic' Tornado Hits Oklahoma and Causes 'Significant' Damage to College Campus

At least eight tornados may have touched down in Oklahoma on Wednesday, including the deadly twister that struck McClain County

Three people have died after a strong tornado tore through central Oklahoma on Wednesday.

The McClain County Sheriff's Office says the twister touched down west of 260th Street and MacArthur Avenue in Cole around 7:30 p.m. local time. The town saw "the most significant damage," according to the sheriff's office.

The tornado then traveled east by 260th and 74B Streets before turning north and plowing through the Town of Goldsby, according to the sheriff's office.

Officials said the storm also tore through the Towns of Dibble, where two people were killed, and Shawnee, where a college campus was damaged.

Governor Kevin Stitt confirmed the three deaths in a Tweet shared late Thursday morning. "As we come together in prayer for all those affected, we're working diligently to assess the damage and restore our communities," Stitt wrote.

A survey crew near Cole found a home with damage indicative of an EF3 tornado, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). An investigation into the twister is ongoing.

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At least eight tornados may have touched down in Oklahoma on Wednesday, including the twister that killed three in McClain County, according to NBC affiliate KFOR-TV and ABC affiliate KOCO-TV.

Shawnee was hit by the twister after it reformed near the Pottawatomie County line, KFOR-TV reported.

The NWS warned everyone in the area to take shelter from the "erratic" storm, which changed direction on more than one occasion.

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Family members have identified one of the victims as Mike Bradsher, according to CBS affiliate KWTV-DT. An adult woman, who has not been publicly identified, is the second victim.

A third reported fatality occurred in a separate county, the sheriff's office said Thursday. The victim was transported to a medical facility in McClain County after sustaining "fatal injuries from the storm."

Stitt toured the storm damage on Thursday, and shared a video of himself visiting Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, where nearly every building was damaged by the storm.

Crews searched every building and made sure "everyone was accounted for," Stitt said while standing in front of an uprooted tree on campus.

No injuries were reported on OBU's campus, which sustained "significant" damage during the storm, according to a Facebook post from the university.

Classes were later canceled for both Thursday and Friday, and temporary housing has been made available to those in need, the school said.

OBU President Heath A. Thomas said it's unclear when students will return to class as the school picks up the pieces following Wednesday's deadly storm, according to KFOR-TV.

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Elsewhere, two people rode out the storm in a manhole on a street, according to KFOR-TV. Neither person was injured.

Employees at a Papa John's Pizza in Shawnee sheltered in a walk-in freezer, according to the Associated Press.

"My priority was keeping everybody safe so I hustled everybody into the walk-in," general Bekah Inman told KOCO-TV, per the report. "There was a lot commotion, people were starting to get a little frantic."

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Many of the towns hit by Wednesday's twister are small, according to the sheriff's office: Cole is home to about 600 people, Goldsby has just over 2,600 residents, and Dibble has an estimated population of 870.

About 23,000 customers were left without power after the storm, according to KOCO-TV. The sheriff's office said crews are working to restore power in the impacted areas.

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