A US Amazon facility suffered a “partial building collapse” when a severe storm ripped through south Illinois, leaving fatalities and rescue workers searching for people trapped in the rubble.
Police in the town of Edwardsville said the rescue operation was under way after a “severe weather event” — possibly a tornado — hit the facility on Friday evening. Officials said on Saturday there were “confirmed fatalities”.
At least 100 emergency vehicles headed to the site after a wall the length of an American football field collapsed, according to local media reports.
According to data from logistics analysts MWPVL, the Edwardsville facility, about 20 miles from St Louis, is a 700,000 sq ft large “non-sortable” fulfilment centre.
Such buildings typically employ about 1,000 workers, according to Amazon’s website, though during the peak Christmas season it can be significantly more.
“The safety and wellbeing of our employees and partners is our top priority right now,” Amazon said. “We’re assessing the situation and will share additional information when it’s available.”
Dave Clark, the Amazon executive in charge of its fulfilment network, said on Twitter: “Thoughts and prayers going out to our team in Edwardsville tonight and thank you to all the first responders.”
Edwardsville police chief Mike Fillback said it was unknown how many people were inside the building at the time of the collapse.
“This is a fairly new building so it’s not something that we’re used to seeing,” he added, speaking to CBS affiliate KMOV.
Two people from the site were taken to hospital by helicopter and about 30 workers taken by bus to a nearby police station for evaluation, according to Associated Press.
“My prayers are with the people of Edwardsville tonight, and I’ve reached out to the mayor to provide any needed state resources,” said Illinois governor, JB Pritzker, in a tweet.
Severe storms across five states in the American Midwest claimed at least four lives on Friday, AP said.
Officials said on Saturday that a devastating swarm of tornadoes had ripped through Kentucky and five other US states on Friday night, killing dozens of people and leaving a trail of destruction along a path that stretched more than 200 miles, according to Reuters.