Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the death toll is expected to rise between 50 and 70 deaths in the wake of the tornadoes and storms that ripped through the Midwest.
“We have deaths in multiple counties,” he said during a live press conference.
This is one of the toughest nights in Kentucky’s history… We are here for you. We love you. We are praying for you.”
Beshear declared a state of emergency
Officials said this could be the most devastating and largest tornadoes to ever touch down in Kentucky. A graphic provided during the briefing shows the distance the tornado traveled from when it first touched down — totaling 223 miles.
The National Guard and all state emergency services are being mobilized throughout the state as search and rescue efforts remain underway.
Power outages continues to increase significantly, officials said.
The tornado and deadly storm system ripped through Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and Illinois on Friday night — destroying buildings, leaving others dead and dozens of others trapped inside buildings.
Three people died in severe weather in Tennessee, one person died and several were injured in an apparent tornado at an Arkansas nursing home, and emergency crews in southern Illinois were responding to reports of workers trapped inside an Amazon warehouse after its roof collapsed from storm damage.
At least one fatality was also reported in Missouri as severe storms, some believed to be tornadoes, swept across the Midwest and parts of the South
Tornadoes and severe weather were blamed for several deaths and injuries across parts of the Midwest and the South as a storm system caused significant damage at a candle factory in Kentucky, an Amazon facility in Illinois, a nursing home in Arkansas, and numerous homes and buildings.
Many people were feared dead at the factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, where Gov. Andy Beshear called the situation “tragic” at a news conference Saturday morning.
“There were about 110 people in it at the time that the tornado hit it,” Beshear said. “We believe we’ll lose at least dozens of those individuals. It’s very hard, really tough, and we’re praying for each and every one of those families.”
At least 100 emergency vehicles descended upon the Amazon warehouse near Edwardsville, Illinois, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of St. Louis, where a wall that was about the length of a football field collapsed, as did the roof above it.
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 by bus to the police station in nearby Pontoon Beach for evaluation. By early Saturday, rescue crews were still sorting through the rubble to determine if anyone was trapped inside. Fillback said the process would last for several more hours. Cranes and backhoes were brought in to help move debris.
“Please be patient with us. Our fire personnel are doing everything they can to reunite everyone with their loved ones,” Fillback said
The Belleville News-Democrat reported that the Amazon fulfillment center in Edwardsville opened with two warehouses in 2016, with 1.5 million square feet of space. The warehouses are used to store items until they are shipped to mail-order customers.
