Crews are searching for survivors and assessing damage after tornadoes and strong thunderstorms ripped through Tennessee, overturning cars, tearing down buildings, and killing at least six people.
Officials said Saturday night that an apparent tornado struck the Clarksville area of Montgomery County in northern Tennessee, killing at least three people, including a child.
In Tennessee, tornadoes kill at least six people.
Montgomery County was in a “search and rescue phase” phase Saturday evening after nearly two dozen people were treated for injuries at a hospital, officials said.
Footage obtained by CNN shows what appears to be a tornado churning across a Clarksville road, flinging debris in the air and sparking power lines as it ripped through the area.
In the storm’s aftermath, cars were left tossed on their roofs as downed trees and debris littered roads. Roofs and walls from multiple buildings were ripped off, photos show.
“This is devastating news and our hearts are broken for the families of those who lost loved ones,” Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts said in a statement. “The City stands ready to help them in their time of grief.”
As Clarkesville looked for survivors and possibly additional victims, the mayor declared a state of emergency Saturday night and enacted a 9 p.m. curfew.
Resident Rex Stockton told CNN affiliate WSMV his home’s roof was blown off in the storm. He went outside after the storm passed to inspect the damage and saw his neighborhood had been devastated.
“There were whole houses that are just gone,” he said.
Stockton and his wife, a local nurse, began helping their neighbors alongside other good Samaritans. They could hear cries for help in the debris, he said, and managed to help some people.
“She was able to do some CPR, but she was not alone,” Stockton said, calling the experience “traumatic” but noting he and his wife were “fortunate.”
“There were medics. People were just coming from everywhere to help and they were able to do what they could,” he said.
Nearly 50 miles away, another three people were confirmed dead in Madison, Tennessee, just north of Nashville, emergency management officials said Saturday night.
“We have teams assessing damage and looking for patients,” the Nashville Office of Emergency Management said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Images showed severe damage in the area where the deaths were reported, with heavy debris covering a car.
At least two tornadoes – each described as large and dangerous – were confirmed Saturday afternoon, including one in Montgomery County and another near the Gibson County town of Rutherford, the National Weather Service said.
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