9 people are dead and numerous homes are destroyed after Tornadoes ripped through Nashville and central Tennessee (Photos)

A series of tornadoes ripped through Nashville and central Tennessee, killing at least nine people and leaving a number of homes and other buildings destroyed.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said the deaths were reported in four counties: Davidson County, where Nashville is, as well as in Putnam, Benton and Wilson counties, adding that “a number of people” are missing and many are injured in a news conference Tuesday morning.

“There’s a really good possibility that there may be more,” Lee said. “It’s early yet.”

“It is heartbreaking,” Lee said. “We have had loss of life all across the state. Four different counties, as of this morning, had confirmed fatalities.”

Tornadoes were reported at least three times along a 145-mile stretch, from the small city of Camden just after 11 p.m. CT, through Nashville after midnight, and into the Cookeville area in Putnam County shortly before 2 a.m., the National Weather Service said.

About 20 people are in Nashville-area hospitals because of tornado or storm damage in the city, Mayor John Cooper told CNN affiliate WTVF.

“There are a couple of tragic cases, in one case a tree falling on a car and there are also I believe about 20 people in the hospital, so we need to monitor that very carefully,” Cooper said.

“We all worry about some people being left in some buildings that have been damaged and I know the first responders are working their way through that problem.”