In Mexico, national civil protection coordinator Luis Felipe Puente told Foro TV that "more than 1,000 homes" had been affected by the tornado that swept in at "impressive speed" and lasted only six seconds.
Ciudad Acuna Mayor Evaristo Lenin Perez said a seven-year-old boy was also missing following the tornado, as firefighters and civil protection officials rushed to the town to start searching for survivors in the rubble.
Most of the fatalities were people who were out on the street.