6 dead after tornadoes, storms hit southern US

At least six people were killed after severe tornadoes and storms hit the southern parts of the US, authorities said.

At least five deaths and multiple injuries were reported in Calhoun County, Alabama, after a tornado passed through on Thursday evening, leaving "substantial damage to properties and homes", Xinhua news agency quoted a CNN report as saying on Friday.

About 38,000 homes and businesses were without power in Alabama and Georgia on Friday morning, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us.

One tornado struck the western Georgia city of Newnan early Friday, the weather service said, tearing roofs and mangling trees and utility poles just after midnight.

The storms killed at least one person in Newnan's Coweta County, Fire Chief Deron Patrick Wilson said.

In all, 23 tornado reports formed -- one in Mississippi; 17 in Alabama; and five in Georgia, the weather service said.