A giant swirling storm system raging to the south killed at least six people in central Alabama and another in Georgia, and cut power to tens of thousands on Thursday, with a system-generated tornado destroying walls. , knocked down roofs and uprooted trees in Selma. In Otauga County, Alabama, which is 41 miles (66 km) northeast of Selma, at least six deaths have been confirmed and 40 to 50 homes are estimated to have been damaged or destroyed by the hurricanes. that cut a strip through the county, said Ernie Baggett, the county's emergency management chief. At least 12 people were seriously injured enough to be taken to hospitals by rescuers, Baggett told The Associated Press, adding that he did not know the extent of their injuries. A significant tornado with long trails crossed central Alabama on Thursday, causing devastation in several counties as it moved east. Perhaps the hardest hit was the historic town of Selma in Dallas County. Looking from busy Broad Street, one can see extensive damage to businesses and buildings in all directions. The tornado that struck directly downtown may have been a high-end EF2 or EF3 and lifted debris up to at least 16,000 feet based on radar and reports. Several people were reported injured, but no deaths were reported as of Thursday night. Dallas County EMA Director Toya Stiles said search and rescue efforts will continue starting at 7 a.m. Friday. Selma officials called it a "disaster zone". Many roads are blocked by the hurricane in Selma, as they are throughout the county. A huge tornado that swept through the city of Selma, Alabama on Thursday caused "significant damage," the mayor of Selma said - one of more than a dozen reports of tornadoes made in that state alone as severe storms swept through the southeast, causing several people were injured. A "large and extremely dangerous tornado" in Selma, confirmed by the National Weather Service, struck the city at 12:19 p.m. CT and continued eastward, the service said. “Please refrain from traveling on the roads and stay away from power lines,” the mayor wrote. What appeared to be a huge funnel cloud passed through the area, according to images shared by Mike Pitts. After he passed, the photographs showed houses without roofs, other roofs without tiles, and roads littered with piles of debris. The storm tore apart the house of a resident, but no one was hurt. She took refuge in the bathroom with her mother. The Selma tornado originated when severe tornado-capable storms swept through the southeast Thursday, injuring several people and causing damage across several states, with the possibility of several more hours of destruction ahead.