selma alabama a giant swirling storm system billowing across the south killed at least six people in central alabama and another in georgia and knocked out power to tens of thousands on thursday while a tornado spawned by the system shredded the walls of homes toppled roofs and uprooted trees in selmain autauga county alabama which is 41 miles 66 kilometers northeast of selma at least six fatalities were confirmed and an estimated 40 to 50 homes were damaged or destroyed by storms that cut a strip across the county said ernie baggett the countys emergency management directorat least 12 people were injured severely enough to be taken to hospitals by emergency responders baggett told the associated press adding that he didnt know the extent of their injuries he said crews were focused thursday evening on cutting through downed trees to look for people who may need helpthere are some houses that were completely destroyed that havent been searched yet autauga county coroner buster barber said late thursday adding that crews are still in the process of searching through rubblein georgia a passenger died when a tree fell on a vehicle in jackson during the storm butts county coroner lacey prue said in the same county southeast of atlanta the storm appeared to have knocked a freight train off its tracks officials saidnationwide there were 33 separate tornado reports thursday from the national weather service as of thursday evening with a handful of tornado warnings still in effect in georgia south carolina and north carolina however the reports were not yet confirmed and some of them could later be classified as wind damage after assessments are done in coming daysin selma a city etched in the history of the civil rights movement brick buildings collapsed cars were on their side and traffic poles were strewn about in the downtown area plumes of thick black smoke rose over the city from a fire burning it wasnt immediately known whether the storm caused the blazea few blocks past the citys famed edmund pettus bridge an enduring symbol of the voting rights movement buildings were crumpled by the storm and trees blocked roadwaysselma mayor james perkins said no fatalities have been reported but first responders were continuing to assess the damagewe have a lot of downed power lines he said there is a lot of danger on the streetsa city of about 18000 residents selma is about 50 miles 80 kilometers west of the alabama capital city of montgomery it was a flashpoint of the civil rights movement and where alabama state troopers viciously attacked black people advocating for voting rights as they marched across the edmund pettus bridge on march 7 1965after the tornado passed krishun moore emerged from her home to the sound of children crying and screaming she and her mother encouraged the kids to keep screaming until they found the two of them on top of the roof of a damaged apartment she estimated the kids were about 1