Kentucky tornado horror feared to have killed 70 as storms hit Tennessee and 6 Amazon workers die in warehouse collapse
AROUND 70 people may have perished after devastating tornadoes ripped through parts of the country late Friday and early Saturday.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says the death toll may rise after one of the “toughest nights in Kentucky history”.
A state of emergency has been declared in Kentucky.
The wild storm ripped through several states leaving 100 Amazon workers trapped in an Illinois warehouse. Six of the workers died as a result of the storm.
The Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, has said that the state should expect closer to 100 deaths after the tornado ripped through multiple communities, leveling buildings.
He said in a press conference: "We believe our death toll from this event will exceed 50 Kentuckians, probably end up closer to 70 to 100 lost lives.
Flash flooding has occurred in Bowling Green, KY, with roads homes submerged following the extreme weather.
"Remember, each of these are children of God irreplaceable to their families and to their communities."
There have been 132 Tornado Warnings issues over Friday night, with a new A Warning issued for the Nashville Metro area, as Radar indicated a tornado moving east at 50mph is expected to arrive around 3:25 p.m. CST.
Others were seriously hurt when the twister tore through a nursing home in Arkansas on Friday, while another person reportedly died in a building collapse when the terrifying storm system hit rural St. Charles County, Missouri.
Multiple buildings were said to be "leveled" with Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson indicating a tornado touched down in the northeast portion of the state.
Local ABC affiliate KAIT said Craighead County Judge Marvin Day confirmed one person was killed and five others were hurt in a "mass casualty" event at Monette Manor nursing home after the tornado moved through the Mississippi County area.
AROUND 70 people may have perished after devastating tornadoes ripped through parts of the country late Friday and early Saturday.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says the death toll may rise after one of the “toughest nights in Kentucky history”.
A state of emergency has been declared in Kentucky.
The wild storm ripped through several states leaving 100 Amazon workers trapped in an Illinois warehouse. Six of the workers died as a result of the storm.
The Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, has said that the state should expect closer to 100 deaths after the tornado ripped through multiple communities, leveling buildings.
He said in a press conference: "We believe our death toll from this event will exceed 50 Kentuckians, probably end up closer to 70 to 100 lost lives.
Flash flooding has occurred in Bowling Green, KY, with roads homes submerged following the extreme weather.
"Remember, each of these are children of God irreplaceable to their families and to their communities."
There have been 132 Tornado Warnings issues over Friday night, with a new A Warning issued for the Nashville Metro area, as Radar indicated a tornado moving east at 50mph is expected to arrive around 3:25 p.m. CST.
Others were seriously hurt when the twister tore through a nursing home in Arkansas on Friday, while another person reportedly died in a building collapse when the terrifying storm system hit rural St. Charles County, Missouri.
Multiple buildings were said to be "leveled" with Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson indicating a tornado touched down in the northeast portion of the state.
Local ABC affiliate KAIT said Craighead County Judge Marvin Day confirmed one person was killed and five others were hurt in a "mass casualty" event at Monette Manor nursing home after the tornado moved through the Mississippi County area.
About 20 people were initially trapped at the facility, which has 90 beds, Craighead County Judge Marvin Day told the news station.Debris covered the parking lot, with major damage visible to the building and its roof.
A photo from Bay, Arkansas, about a 25-minute drive from the nursing home, showed what appeared to be two tornados coming down from dark clouds.
First responders from surrounding towns were heading to Monette as additional reports indicated local Adams Gin Company and Dollar General buildings in Leachville were "leveled" in the storms.
Damage to a fire station and nursing home with possible injuries were also reported in Trumann, southwest of Monette.
When the horrifying weather system ripped through Route 94 and Highway F in Defiance, Missouri, at around 8pm local time, two people were injured in the chaos, and one person was killed.
The exact speed of the tornadoes was not yet known on Friday night, and it was unclear how many there had been. CNN reported that there were 19 tornadoes that hammered the five states.
Some reports suggested that the record for the longest single tornado - 219 miles - could have been broken and that it had crossed four states, breaking another record.
Read our tornado warning live blog for the very latest news and updates...
They were rushed to trauma centers, where one of them passed away from their injuries, reported KTVI. However, first responders rescued one person from one of the many homes that were battered by the storm yesterday evening.
“We’ve been on the scene for quite a while now and expect to be on scene for quite a while longer,” said Kyle Gaines, the director of community relations for the St. Charles County Ambulance District.
“We’ll be doing house-to-house checks to make sure everyone is okay.”
Meanwhile, KOMONews Seattle reported that a possible tornado struck an Amazon warehouse.
"Multiple first responders and crews now on scene in Edwardsville, Illinois, where workers are trapped, some feared dead," KOMONews' Preston Phillips tweeted.
According to the report, the possible tornado caused part of the building's roof to collapse.
Dozens of emergency crews were spotted on the scene at the Amazon Warehouse on Gateway Commerce Center Drive after a tornado was confirmed to have touched down in Edwardsville.
Approximately "a third of the warehouse is torn down and damaged from either straight by line winds or tornado," KMOV's Jenna Rae wrote in a tweet.
She also noted that some people might be trapped, but it wasn't revealed if there were any deaths.
'MASS CASUALTIES'
Sources told the reporter there are "injuries and possible deaths" inside the warehouse.
Some reports are saying there could be more than 100 people inside the building.
And law enforcement officials are calling the incident a "mass casualty event."
Excavators and a life helicopter arrived on scene shortly after, as about two dozen Amazon workers were taken away from the building in Madison County Transit buses, according to KMOV.
"From the looks of it, they seem not injured," journalist Jenna Rae said in a follow-up tweet on Saturday at 12.36am ET.
EYE OF THE STORM
"Many of them on their phones and looked like they were relaxing back in their seats. I still cannot be certain," she said.
Later, footage revealed Amazon workers being bussed to safety after the horror roof collage.
Tornado and severe weather warnings remain in effect with people in the region urged to seek shelter.
The emergency warnings come as a major storm moves from the Rockies to the East Coast.
The main threat to Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana was strong tornadoes and damaging winds on Friday night, ABC News reported.
The storms caused additional damage as they tracked through Tennessee and into Kentucky.
Several buildings collapsed in the southwestern Kentucky community of Mayfield, said Sarah Burgess, a trooper with the Kentucky State Police in Mayfield.
She said several people were trapped inside a damaged candle factory in Mayfield and that a shift was ongoing when the storm hit: “The entire building is essentially leveled.”
Although no deaths were immediately reported in Mayfield, coroners were summoned to the community, Burgess said: “We do expect loss of life”.
More to follow...
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