Tornadoes and severe weather ripped through western Kentucky and neighboring states late-night Friday, leaving more than 50 dead, according to reports.
At minimum 30 tornadoes were reported in “Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee,” according to CNN. In Kentucky alone, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said at least 50 were killed, ABC News reports.
“This is going to be some of the worst tornado damage that we’ve seen in a long time,” Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said early Saturday, per WLKY. “This is likely to be the most severe tornado outbreak in our state’s history.”
One tornado tore through a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, where many are feared to be dead, according to the Associated Press (AP).
“There were about 110 people in it at the time that the tornado hit it,” Beshear said, per the AP. “We believe our death toll from this event will exceed 50 Kentuckians and probably end up 70 to 100.”
“It’s very hard, really tough, and we’re praying for each and every one of those families,” he continued.
Beshear stated the tornado stayed on the ground for 227 miles following touchdown, according to WLKY.
“That makes that single tornado likely to eclipse the track of the current record holding 1925 tri-state tornado as the longest tornado in terms of touchdown time in the entire nation’s history,” according to the outlet.
At least one died after extreme weather rampaged through an Amazon factory in Edwardsville, Illinois, which is situated 25 east of St. Louis, the AP reports, citing Fire Chief Mike Fillback.
The factory’s roof collapsed, and a wall about 100-yeards in length crumbled to the ground. Two victims were helicoptered to St. Louis area hospitals, Fillback said, but he did not know the condition of the victims nor did he know what hospitals they were taken to, according to the AP.
The AP reports:
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the damage was caused by straight-line storms or a tornado, but the National Weather Service office near St. Louis reported “radar-confirmed tornadoes” in the Edwardsville area at around the time of the collapse.
About 30 people who were in the building were taken by bus to the police station in nearby Pontoon Beach for evaluation.
Early Saturday, rescue crews were still sorting through the rubble. Fillback said the process could take several more hours. Cranes and backhoes were brought in to help move debris.
One was killed, and two were injured from building collapses some 30 miles west of St. Louis near the towns of Defiance and New Melle, the AP reports.
In Monette, Arkansas, the Monette Manor nursing home saw one death and extreme damage as 20 were trapped inside the building, Craighead County Judge Marvin Day told the AP.
Five were seriously injured, and others endured minor injuries. Another nursing home in Truman, which is about 20 miles away, was severely damaged, but no injures have been reported, the AP reports. Residents were evacuated.