Strong storms and tornadoes in Tennessee left at least six people dead Saturday and caused what local emergency services described as extensive damage and left tens of thousands of residents without power.
The Montgomery County Mayor's Office confirmed that three people died this afternoon in Clarksville, and that at least 23 people are being treated in hospitals for injuries.
"At this time we can confirm that three people have died, two adults and a child as a result of the tornado that hit this afternoon," he said in a statement.
Three more deaths were confirmed in the Nashville suburbs, as reported by Nashville Emergency Services in X.
More than 80,000 people in Tennessee were without power as of last night, according to the outage tracking website poweroutage.us.
"This is a sad day for our community. We are praying for those who were injured, lost their loved ones and their homes," said Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden. The County Sheriff's Office - where Clarksville is located, with a population of more than 220,000 - reported damage to several homes in the city of Clarksville.
Several trees, power lines and houses were also affected by the storms in the rural city of Dresden, according to emergency services.
Authorities also urged citizens to stay off the roads while emergency services were responding to the situation in different areas.
"We are still in the search and rescue phase of this disaster," the county mayor's office said in its statement. A local school and church were established to house those displaced or in need of assistance, the letter added.
The National Weather Service had issued a tornado emergency watch Saturday afternoon for several Nashville suburbs.
"This is a day that no one wanted or expected," said Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts. "We know there is extensive damage throughout the community."
