Aerial footage shows tornado-ravaged prison where Green Mile and Walk The Line were filmed

A prison which starred in blockbuster movie Green Mile was torn apart as a powerful tornado bringing 165mph winds ripped through Tennessee. 

Aerial footage shows parts of the Old Tennessee prison in Nashville reduced to rubble after it was lashed by the twister on its 10-mile path through the city.

The tornado was one of two that tore through a 50-mile stretch in four counties, killing 24 people in the state as rescuers sifted through wreckage for survivors. 

A 40-yard stretch of the stone prison wall – which is half a foot thick – was knocked down by winds while several power poles were battered during extreme weather.

Shocking photos show piles of bricks and metal strewn across the prison’s courtyard as crew worked to clear up the wreckage.

The abandoned correction facility – famous for it’s turrets – has been a favorite of film directors, having also featured in Johnny cash biopic Walk The Line.   

A nearby building that housed old records was also damaged, while cars were flipped. 

‘It was a pretty significant tornado. It did a lot of damage,’ TDOC Commissioner Tony Parker said video posted on Twitter.  

‘This building’s been here a long time. I didn’t know what the future of this building would be, but it’s obvious that nature can come in a few seconds and change a landscape,’ Parker said. ‘I’m just thankful no one was hurt here.’

Officials have urged people to stay away from the abandoned building and said it would be cleared up in a few days. It is not known if the building will be repaired.  

The prison, known locally as ‘The Walls’, was closed in 1992 – but its unique architecture inspired film and music video producers.  

The death toll from Tennessee’s devastating tornadoes has risen to 24, including several children, as rescue crews continue sifting through miles of wreckage for survivors and some 73,000 people are still without power.    

At least two twisters tore across the state after midnight on Tuesday, shredding more than 140 buildings and burying people in piles of rubble and wrecked basements. Sirens and cellphone alerts sounded, but the tornadoes moved so quickly that many people in their path could not flee to safer areas. 

‘It hit so fast, a lot of folks didn’t have time to take shelter,’ Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter said. ‘Many of these folks were sleeping.’ 

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee declared an emergency and sent the National Guard to help with search-and-rescue efforts as at least 70 people are still unaccounted for nearly 24 hours later. About 156 people have been hospitalized after being pulled from the wreckage. 

Early findings by National Weather Service (NWS) survey teams indicated that the damage just east of Nashville was inflicted by a tornado of at least EF-3 intensity, the agency said.

One twister wrecked homes and businesses across a 10-mile stretch of Nashville that included parts of downtown. It smashed more than three dozen buildings, including destroying the tower and stained glass of a historic church. 

Another tornado damaged more than 100 structures along a two-mile path of destruction in Putnam County, wiping some homes from their foundations and depositing the wreckage far away.