At least six people died after tornadoes and severe storms tore through parts of Tennessee on Saturday.

Buildings were reduced to rubble and communities were plunged into blackouts when extreme weather battered parts of the southern US state.

Three of the deaths were reported in a northern suburb of Nashville, the state’s capital.

Two adults and a child were killed in the city of Clarksville, around 50 miles (80.4km) to the north-west.

Joe Pitts, the city’s mayor, has declared a state of emergency, including a 9pm curfew which will remain in place on Sunday.

“This is devastating news and our hearts are broken for the families of those who lost loved ones,” he said. “The city stands ready to help them in their time of grief.”

Another 23 people in the surrounding area have been hospitalised, the Montgomery County government said.

Wes Golding, the county’s mayor, said: “This is a sad day for our community. We are praying for those who are injured, lost loved ones, and lost their homes.”

As of 21:30 local time (0330 GMT Sunday), almost 60,000 people were without power, according to tracking site poweroutage.us.

Videos posted on social media showed overturned cars and uprooted trees littering streets lined by ruined buildings.

Footage captured the funnels of large tornadoes making contact with the ground and bright flashes of lightning across the sky.

The National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings in Tennessee on Saturday. (BBC: Text, Excluding Headline)

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