Deadly storms and tornadoes kill at least 29 people in several US states

Nine dead in Tennessee as buildings destroyed and tens of thousands of homes still without power

The death toll from a major storm system that has lashed the south-central and eastern US with devastating winds and destructive tornadoes has risen to at least 29, officials said on Sunday.

Tennessee, one of the hardest-hit states since the storms began on Friday, initially had seven weather-related fatalities but the toll there later rose to nine, according to the Memphis-based news channel WREG.