At least 27 dead after floods hit US South

May 4, 2010, 13:39 GMT

Washington - At lest 27 people have died in heavy flooding caused by torrential rains in the south-eastern United States since the weekend, media reports said Tuesday.

In the state of Tennessee alone, 19 people were killed, according to broadcaster CNN.

In neighbouring states, six deaths were reported in Mississippi, and authorities counted three fatalities in Kentucky.

'It's an astonishing sight for someone who has lived here a long time,' said Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, who toured the affected area. 'This is going to be a long time in cleaning up.'

Thousands of people had to flee their homes, while hotels and nursing homes were evacuated in Nashville, the Tennessean newspaper said.

Fast-moving water washed over roads and parking lots, leading to the shutdown of several highway stretches. Some drivers had to be rescued by firefighters after rising water trapped them in their cars.

Several bodies were discovered in a flooded Nashville house and in a rolled-over car that was floating on a flooded street.

In the inner city, the famed music institutions, including the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center were flooded, according to CNN.