At least six people were killed in the US state of Alabama as tornadoes swept through the southeast of the country, Governor Kay Ivey said on Thursday.

“I am sad to have learned that six Alabamians were lost to the storms that ravaged across our state,” the governor said in a tweet.

“My prayers are with their loved ones and communities. We are far too familiar with devastating weather, but our people are resilient. We will get through it and be stronger for it,” she wrote.

The governor declared a state of emergency for several counties hit hardest by the storms.

Extensive damage was reported, with heavy rain and strong winds damaging homes and leaving tens of thousands of people without power in Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama. (Anadolu Agency)