USA: at least 19 dead in violent tornadoes in Tennessee

Text by: RFI Follow

At least 19 people died when violent tornadoes struck the state of Tennessee, including the Nashville area. Rescue was activated Tuesday morning in search of survivors and missing persons. The toll of the storms that hit this southeastern state of the country at night is therefore likely to increase.

Publicity

Images released by local media showed buildings that had been completely destroyed after the tornadoes passed overnight from Monday to Tuesday. Trees and utility poles were uprooted and houses ripped apart. " Nashville is suffering, and our community has been devastated, " said Mayor John Cooper .

Tornadoes "crossed Tennessee, severely damaging buildings, roads, bridges" in several counties, according to TEMA, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, cited by AFP. Wherever the tornadoes have passed, trees and utility poles have been uprooted and houses ripped apart. The power outages affected 47,000 customers Tuesday morning, according to Nashville Electric.

These tornadoes struck a few hours before the opening of polling stations in 14 American states, including Tennessee, for "Super Tuesday", milestone of the Democratic primaries in the United States.

This is downtown Nashville. I'm speechless @ NC5 @CBSNews @NashSevereWx pic.twitter.com/Jymi6tCs6C

(With agencies)

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• United States
• Natural disasters