Tornadoes destroyed towns across Tennessee as a massive storm system passed through the US (Picture: AP)
A mother and her young son she held in her arms were among six victims found dead after tornadoes ripped through towns in Tennessee.
In Madison, a suburban neighborhood just north of Nashville, an ER2 tornado with winds exceeding 125mph picked up a mobile home off Nesbit Lane on Saturday afternoon. A resident, Wanda McClemor, said she looked out the window and did not see her neighboring trailer, then heard someone screaming for help.
‘By the time we got out here, there were people already trying to get to them,’ McClemor told WTVF of their search for a mom and her two-year-old son.
‘We were out here listening for a baby, and they thought maybe (the child) had blown away.’
The neighbors eventually found the mother still clutching her son, both lifeless.
‘They said they couldn’t find her because she was holding him, trying to protect the baby,’ said a teary McClemor.
‘I went in last night and I prayed. I prayed they would just be unconscious. I prayed, but maybe he’ll just be unconscious. But that wasn’t the case.’
Authorities identified the mother as Floridema Perez, 31, and her son as Anthony. Their neighbor, Joseph Dalton, 37, was also killed. Two other children in the mobile home community were hurt, and expected to recover.
About 50 miles north of Nashville in the town of Clarksville, a storm chaser recorded the terrifying moment that a tornado swept across a highway, setting off sparks as it downed power lines, a video obtained by CNN shows.
Montgomery County officials confirmed three deaths in Clarksville – two adults and 10-year-old Arlan Burnham. In addition, 23 people were injured and hospitalized as a search continued for others who could be hurt or dead.
‘This is a sad day for our community,’ stated Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden. ‘We are praying for those who are injured, lost loved ones, and lost their homes.’
Sumner County officials said the area experienced ‘significant damage’ from a tornado that hit Gallatin and Hendersonville in the northeast part of the state on Saturday. County medical service officials said they were ‘not aware of any loss oflife or life-threatening injuries at this time’.
The tornadoes that ripped roofs off homes, overturned trucks and stripped buildings to their foundations across Tennessee, were part of massive storm system that impacted more than 1,200 mules of the eastern US, from the Gulf Coast to the northern border with Canada.
Six people were killed after tornadoes tore through towns in Tennessee including Madison and Clarksville.