Multiple deaths confirmed after tornadoes strike Tennessee

NASHVILLE — Metro Police say nineteen people are confirmed dead so far after at least two tornadoes touched down early Tuesday in central Tennessee, including one that ripped across Downtown Nashville and caused buildings to collapse around the city.

Police are searching for injured people.

Areas are covered with blown-down walls and roofs, snapped power lines and huge broken trees.

Some schools are already closed. For Super Tuesday, some voting polls in Nashville will be kept closed for another week or more to handle repairs.

Authorities say more than 45 buildings were damaged in Nashville alone, and more than 150 people in Metro Nashville have been taken to hospitals because of the storm.

Tens of thousands of power outages were reported in the region.

“We all worry about some people being left in buildings that had been damaged, and I know that first responders are working their way through that,” said Nashville Mayor John Cooper.