Severe storms which tore through central Tennessee on Saturday killed six people as homes and businesses were damaged in multiple cities.

Three people, including a child, were killed after an apparent tornado struck Montgomery County, north of Nashville, county officials said in a news release.

Nashville Emergency Operation Centre said in a post on a social media account that three people were killed by severe storms in the city.

Montgomery County officials said another 23 people were treated for injuries at hospitals.

Photos posted by the Clarksville fire department on social media showed damaged houses with debris strewn in the lawns, a tractor trailer flipped on its side on a highway and insulation ripped out of building walls.

Clarksville mayor Joe Pitts said: “This is devastating news and our hearts are broken for the families of those who lost loved ones.

“The city stands ready to help them in their time of grief.”

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said a tornado touched down around 2pm.

The National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings in Tennessee with reports of a further tornado in Kentucky.

About 85,000 electricity customers were without power in Tennessee on Saturday night, according to PowerOutage.us.