Up to 100 people are likely to have been killed in a devastating series of tornadoes that ripped through Kentucky and several other US states late Friday and early Saturday, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said.
Key points:
- Mass casualties are expected and there are fears for 110 people trapped in a candle factory
- The city of Mayfield in Grave county, western Kentucky is believed to be the worst hit
- The tornado tore through over a dozen counties in the state, leaving more than 56,000 people without power
Multiple tornadoes touched down overnight across Kentucky, causing damage in more than a dozen counties.
The primary tornado travelled more than 320 kilometres across the state, Mr Beshear told an early morning news conference.
The death toll is likely to exceed 50 people and could reach up to 100 people, he said.
“The reports are really heartbreaking,” Mr Beshear said.
“We believe the death toll from this event will exceed 50 Kentuckians, probably end up closer to 70 to 100 lost lives.
“This has been one of the toughest nights in Kentucky history and some areas have been hit in ways that is hard to put into words.
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More than 56,000 Kentuckians were without power, he said, adding he had declared a state emergency and was deploying dozens of national guardsmen to communities.
The hardest-hit area appeared to be the city of Mayfield in Grave county, where a roof collapse at a candle factory caused “mass casualties”.
About 110 people were inside the candle factory in the area when the tornado ripped through, the New York Times reported.
“We believe we’ll lose at least dozens of those individuals,” Mr Beshear said.
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In Tennessee, the severe weather killed at least three people, authorities said, 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.
Craighead County Judge Marvin Day told The Associated Press that a tornado struck the Monette Manor nursing home at about 8:15pm local time, trapping 20 people inside as the building collapsed around them.
Within two hours, the building had been cleared and everyone initially believed to have been inside had been accounted for, Mr Day said.
In Illinois, authorities said 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 safety and well-being of our employees and partners is our top priority right now,” Amazon spokesperson Richard Rocha said in a written statement.
“We’re assessing the situation and will share additional information when it’s available.”
The storms caused a CSX company freight train to derail in western Kentucky, although no injuries were reported, the Times said.
Bill Bunting, operations chief at the Storm Prediction Center, part of the National Weather Service, said at least five states were hit by the tornadoes: Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and Arkansas, the Times reported.
ABC/Reuters