19 Deaths, Devastation Reported After Tornadoes Tear Through Middle Tennessee

Tornadoes killed at least 19 people in Tennessee as violent storms roared through the state late Monday and early Tuesday morning, part of a sprawling system that threatened more severe weather Tuesday all the way from Texas to North Carolina, the Storm Prediction Center said.

A powerful and deadly storm moving through Middle Tennessee spawned a tornado that touched down in Nashville early Tuesday morning, cutting a swath of destruction that stretched through the city for miles.

Earlier, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee had said that nine people that died in the storms, "a number of people" are missing and many are injured in a news conference Tuesday morning.

The governor did not provide specific counts on injured or unaccounted-for individuals, but noted that 30 rescue workers have suffered injuries.

"It is heartbreaking," Lee said. “We have had loss of life all across the state. Four different counties, as of this morning, had confirmed fatalities.”