A tornado hits the US city of Nashville and its surroundings hard. There are deaths, injuries and massive damage. The rescuers cannot yet estimate the full extent.
Nashville (dpa) - In the US state of Tennessee, at least 25 people died as a result of a tornado, causing serious damage to property.
"This is a tragic day in our state," said Tennessee governor Bill Lee at a press conference in Nashville. "The destruction is heartbreaking." 25 fatalities have now been confirmed. The number of injuries was initially unclear. Local disaster control said that around 70,000 people in the city of Nashville and neighboring areas had lost power.
US President Donald Trump said the whole nation is grieving after the "very terrible" and "devilish" tornado with those affected. He announced that he would visit the disaster area in the southeastern state on Friday. The government will also help with the reconstruction, he promised. The House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said she thanked the emergency services and prayed for those people who were still missing.
Lee said rescue workers are fully deployed in the affected areas in and around Nashville. The emergency was declared and four emergency shelters opened.
The local television station WKRN spoke of dozens of injuries. Trump spoke of "many" injuries. Many houses and buildings were badly damaged and many trees had fallen over. Roads and bridges have also been damaged, said the civil protection. The authority warned local residents not to enter damaged buildings.
A Putnam district police spokesman told WKRN that officials went from house to house in the most severely affected areas to help local residents in need. Several people were still missing. The storm had swept over the areas at night.
