Jessica Abrahams, Our Foreign Staff 16 hrs ago
At least 50 people are “likely” to have been killed in a devastating outbreak of tornadoes that ripped through Kentucky and other U.S. states late Friday and early Saturday, according to Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
Beshear said that the number of dead could be “significantly north of that” and was “probably closer to somewhere between 70 and 100”.
He described the reports as “devastating”.
However, rescue officials had not confirmed figures for deaths or injuries as of early Saturday, a spokeswoman said.
In Tennessee, the severe weather killed at least three people, while at least one person was killed and five were injured when a tornado shredded the roof of a nursing home in Monette in northern Arkansas, according to local officials. Up to 20 people were trapped inside as the building collapsed, according to reports.
Another nursing home about 20 miles away was badly damaged but no injuries were reported, with residents being evacuated because the building had been rendered unsafe.
In Illinois, authorities said many people were trapped after a roof partially collapsed at an Amazon warehouse near St. Louis late on Friday, after tornadoes and strong storms blew through the area.
The Collinsville Emergency Management Agency described it as a “mass casualty incident” with “multiple subjects trapped at Amazon Warehouse”.
At least 100 emergency vehicles descended upon the warehouse, where a wall about the length of a football field collapsed, along with the roof above it, according to the Associated Press.
Workers had been on the night shift processing orders ahead of the Christmas holidays.
Video: Drone footage shows partially collapsed roof at Amazon warehouse in U.S. (Reuters)PauseCurrent Time 0:00/Duration 1:30Loaded: 33.11%Unmute0LQCaptionFull screenDrone footage shows partially collapsed roof at Amazon warehouse in U.S.Click to expand
It wasn’t immediately clear how many people were hurt, but one person was flown by helicopter to a hospital.
Edwardsville Police Chief Mike Fillback said several people who were in the building were taken to the police station for evaluation. By early Saturday, rescue crews were still sorting through the rubble to determine if anyone was still trapped inside. Fillback said the process would last for several more hours.
“Please be patient with us. Our fire personnel are doing everything they can to reunite everyone with their loved ones,” Fillback said on KMOV-TV.
Amazon spokesperson Richard Rocha said “the safety and well-being of our employees and partners is our top priority right now. We’re assessing the situation and will share additional information when it’s available.”
Beshear, who declared a state of emergency in Kentucky, was quoted by the Washington Post as saying the damage would be “some of the worst… we’ve seen in a long time”.
In the southwestern Kentucky community of Mayfield, several buildings collapsed during the severe weather, said Sarah Burgess, a trooper with the Kentucky State Police.
She said several people were trapped inside a damaged candle factory, where a shift had been ongoing when the storm hit.
“The entire building is essentially leveled,” she said.
No deaths were immediately reported in Mayfield but “we do expect loss of life,” Burgess said.
With tornadoes tearing across the Midwest, CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam said the December monthly average for US tornadoes had been surpassed in just 12 hours.
