A tornado has torn through the city of Holdenville in Oklahoma, killing at least two people.

Authorities faced difficulties in responding to the incident due to power outages and the emergency phone line going down.

Hughes County’s Emergency Manager says they have worked through adversity.

“One of the big challenges in all the rain that came with the storms,” he said.

“Of course, this is out in rural Oklahoma – dirt roads.

“We’ve got issues with power lines down; the roads are muddy.”