(dpa) - Tornadoes touched down throughout southern United States late Tuesday, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens more on the largest election day to date in the 2008 presidential race, local media reported.
Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi were worst hit. The full extent of the damage would only be apparent Wednesday morning, and the death toll was likely to increase.
At least four people were killed in Tennessee and a tornado swept through the city of Memphis, the city's Commercial Appeal daily newspaper reported online. CNN reported that some 90 people were injured.
Earlier in the day, tornadoes struck across Arkansas, causing at least seven deaths, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. A spokesman for the state's governor said rescue teams would be working through the night to discover survivors.
At least three people were killed in a mobile home park in Kentucky, the National Weather Service reported, while heavy damage was also reported in northern Mississippi as strong winds turned over trucks on highways and destroyed buildings.
Voting stations in western Tennessee were closed early amidst the frenzy of the largest presidential party primary vote in US history, where voters in 24 states were picking their favoured nominee.
Both Democratic contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama offered their condolences to the victims of Tuesday's disaster during rallies in their home states of New York and Illinois on the night.