Washington, Mar 7 (IANS): US President Donald Trump paid a visit to Tennessee after strong tornadoes killed 24 people in the southeastern state earlier this week.

On Friday, Trump met Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in Nashville, the state's capital, and visited tornado-hit areas, where he surveyed a landscape of shredded roofs, splintered trees and crushed cars, reports Xinhua news agency.

"This is real devastation... Hope we never see again," Trump told reporters. "You see what happened. We saw it from the helicopter very well."

Lee said it has been "a tragic, painful week" for the state.

Two tornadoes lashed Tennessee on Tuesday, according to US weather authorities.

One of them tracked through Metro Nashville into Wilson County and the other severely impacted Putnam County.

Besides causing fatalities, the tornadoes and severe storms damaged or destroyed five public schools and left over 100,000 residents without power, said the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

The White House said on Thursday that Trump had declared a major disaster exists in Tennessee and ordered federal aid to supplement recovery efforts.