Tennessee death toll reaches seven amid flash flooding

Nashville’s mayor declared state of emergency on Sunday

At least seven deaths have now been reported as a result of deadly flash flooding in Tennessee with rescue crews carrying out more than 240 rescues in Nashville and neighbouring areas over the weekend, a report has said.

On Sunday, torrential rains across Tennessee flooded homes and at least one church and left roads impassable, forcing Nashville’s mayor to declare a state of emergency in the state’s capital.

Five weather-related fatalities have now been reported in Davidson County, one in Cheatham County and another in Hawkins County, health officials confirmed, according to CBS News.

Nashville received more than seven inches of rain amid the incremental weather, the second-highest two-day rainfall total ever recorded, Mr Cooper said at a news conference on Sunday.

Police are said to have found the bodies of a 64-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman near a homeless camp that had flooded, the broadcaster said.

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The body of a 70-year-old man was recovered from a vehicle that had been submerged in water near a Walmart while a 65-year-old man was found dead on a golf course.

At least 130 people were rescued from cars, apartments and homes, by swift-water teams who were placed on standby in anticipation of the storms.

"The teams responded bravely to rescue people not only from their homes and cars but also to make sure they go to known areas of residents that may live outdoors," Nashville Fire Department Chief William Swann said.

The National Weather Service in Nashville have issued a flash flood watch in the state across the next two days from 7pm on Tuesday until 1am on Thursday.

“Numerous showers and scattered thunderstorms are expected across Middle Tennessee Tuesday Night,” they said.

“Rainfall will cause excess runoff and localised flash flooding in the watch area, including adding additional water level rises on already elevated area rivers and creeks,” they added.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press