Tina Johnson, 41, of Pinhook, Alabama, said she watched from her house as a tornado tore apart her barn.

"The lightning and rain started back up suddenly and then we could see the funnel cloud through the lightning," she said. "The preacher's brick house across the street was destroyed and a mobile home nearby was nothing but a few pieces of tin."

Hardest hit were Tennessee -- where 26 died -- Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Alabama, with unconfirmed reports of 69 tornadoes across the region and northward into Indiana, according to the National Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

The death toll rivaled that of the last large deadly outbreak in May 1999 in Oklahoma, Texas and other states, the center said, when about 50 people were killed. Tornadoes typically kill about 70 people in the United States each year.

The weather service and state officials said 26 people had died in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas and seven in Kentucky and four in Alabama. Injuries were widespread, with 149 people hurt in Tennessee alone.

"We know of eight dead and are still looking," said Shelvy Linville, mayor of Lafayette, Tennessee. "There's a lot of devastation."

A tornado struck the Columbia Gulf Transmission company in Hartsville, Tennessee, and set off a natural gas fire that lit up the early morning sky, officials said.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear described to CNN a trail of devastation in his state seen from the air.

"In the path of it there is nothing left and on either side of it things are standing just like nothing has happened. It's an amazing picture to see."

BUILDINGS RIPPED APART

Kentucky National Guard spokesman David Altom said about 50 soldiers were deployed and others put on stand-by.

"The mission right now is to protect the damaged homes from looting," he said.

Two of the states hit by the tornadoes -- Arkansas and Tennessee -- were among the 24 "Super Tuesday" states that held nominating contests before November's presidential election. Several candidates expressed condolences to victims as they addressed supporters.

The White House said President George W. Bush had called the governors of the affected states offering them consolation and support.

"It's a pretty rough night in the scope of it. I don't know if I can remember when we've had as many (tornado) warnings and touchdowns," Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe said by telephone.

Mississippi reported no deaths but about 11 injuries after two tornadoes ripped across an industrial park, seriously damaging a Caterpillar factory, and farm communities north of the University of Mississippi campus in Oxford.

The Jackson Sun newspaper in Tennessee reported a nursing home was seriously damaged but the 114 residents were evacuated safely. A college in Jackson also was damaged, briefly trapping some students in dormitories.