Tornadoes kill 25 in Tennessee, Super Tuesday vote affected

At least 25 people were killed and many others injured after tornadoes ripped through the south-eastern US state of Tennessee early Tuesday – the same day the state was voting in the Super Tuesday Democratic primaries.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee confirmed the death toll at a press briefing in Nashiville, saying that the deaths were recorded in four counties across the south-eastern state.

Read also: Joe Biden wins three states in early Super Tuesday surge

“There are still people that are unaccounted for … search and rescue continues there,” Lee said in the afternoon briefing.

The governor had earlier said on Twitter that the state “will continue deploying search and rescue teams, opening shelters across the state, and sending emergency personnel to our communities hit hardest.”

The severe weather caused extensive damage, destroying homes, businesses and plane hangars and littering motorways with overturned vehicles, according to WKRN.

The tornadoes also left tens of thousands of residents without power.

Tennessee was one of 14 states to vote in the Democratic primaries on Tuesday, and state officials were scrambling to ensure residents can get to the polls after the storm, broadcaster NBC reported.

The Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP) on Tuesday afternoon said a judge ruled that all polling sites in Nashville would remain open until 8 pm (0100 GMT Wednesday), a one-hour extension, and five sites would remain open until 10 pm, a three-hour extension.

The ruling came following a lawsuit by the TNDP, the party said in a tweet.

US President Donald Trump said he was planning to visit Tennessee on Friday “in the wake of the horrible, very vicious tornado.”

“Our hearts are full of sorrow for the lives that were lost,” Trump said during remarks at the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference.

State capital Nashville was badly hit, with the fire department tweeting that it was responding to reports of around 40 structure collapses.

“Nashville is hurting, and our community has been devastated. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones,” Nashville Mayor John Cooper said on Twitter.

Former president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama paid tribute to the first responders “working so diligently to protect the vibrant communities of Nashville” in a tweet.

“Michelle and I are sending our prayers to those affected by the severe storms in Tennessee, especially to those who lost loved ones.” (dpa)