Infant tossed by Tennessee tornado found alive in downed tree

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - A 4-month-old boy has survived after a tornado in Tennessee sucked him up from his family's mobile home, which was demolished in the storm.

Sydney Moore told WSMV-TV that when the tornado hit their home in Clarksville on Saturday, it ripped off the roof and lifted the bassinet with her son inside. Her boyfriend, the child's father, tried to grab the bassinet but was spun up into the twister as well, Moore said.

"He was just holding on to the bassinet the whole time, and they went into circles, he said, and then they got thrown," Moore said.

FILE - In an aerial view, downed trees and a destroyed home are seen in the aftermath of a tornado on Dec. 10, 2023 in Madison, Tennessee. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

At about the same time in another room, as the wind howled, Moore decided to jump on top of their other son, who is 1. She grabbed the child as the walls collapsed, she said.

Moore and the 1-year-old were crushed under the trailer, but she said she managed to push them out.

FILE - A child's ride-on vehicle is seen amongst downed tree branches in the aftermath of a tornado on Dec. 10, 2023 in Madison, Tennessee.  (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

They searched for the younger son for 10 minutes, and ultimately found him lying in a fallen tree in the pouring rain.

"I was pretty sure he was dead and we weren’t going to find him," Moore said. "But he’s here, and that’s by the grace of God."

All the family members survived with cuts and bruises, but their home and belongings were a total loss. Moore's sister has started a GoFundMe page to help them recover.

Three people were killed in Clarksville and three in Nashville by the string of powerful tornado-producing storms on Saturday.