Post by Admin on Dec 11, 2021 21:15:45 GMT
A devastating swarm of tornadoes ripped through six U.S. states, killing more than 70 people in Kentucky and leaving a trail of destroyed homes and businesses along a path that stretched more than 200 miles, officials said.
Multiple people are dead and search and rescue efforts ongoing after storms and tornadoes, including one that ripped through four states, left a catastrophic path of destruction in parts of the South and Midwest overnight.
A candle factory was destroyed in Kentucky, an Amazon facility was ripped apart in Illinois and a nursing home was hit in Arkansas. Officials have confirmed deaths and injuries at all of those locations.
Deaths were also confirmed in Tennessee and Missouri.
The quad-state tornado tracked through portions of Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky and may have been on the ground for more than 100 miles.
Here are the latest updates:
A woman in New Albany, Indiana, said she found a photo stuck to the window of her car Saturday. She posted it on social media, and online sleuths jumped in to help find the owner, based on information written on the back of the black-and-white picture.
In an update, Katie Posten said she had been connected with a member of the family that the photo belongs to. They're from hard-hit Dawson Springs, Kentucky, about 127 miles southwest of New Albany, which is just across the Ohio River from Louisville.
Posten is making plans to return the photo later this week.
Bodies Pulled From Candle Factory Rubble
Bodies have been pulled from the ruins of a crushed candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, but the exact number isn't yet known, Kentucky State Police Trooper Sarah Burgess said, according to The Associated Press.
Search and rescue teams were still combing through the rubble.
“We just can’t confirm a number right now because we are still out there working, and we have so many agencies involved in helping us,” Burgess said.
She said heavy equipment was being used to move rubble and coroners were called to the scene.
Amazon Confirms Deaths At Illinois Facility
“We’re deeply saddened by the news that members of our Amazon family passed away as a result of the storm in Edwardsville, Ill.,” Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokeswoman, said in a statement on Saturday, according to The New York Times. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones and everyone impacted by the tornado.”
Police in Edwardsville earlier said an unspecified number of people died when an Amazon building losts its roof and sustained other serious damage Friday night. A wall the size of a football field collapsed at the property, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Edwardsville is about 25 miles east of St. Louis and is home to at least two Amazon warehouses
'Toughest Day of My Life'
Local officials at a press conference with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear became emotional talking about the damage in and around Mayfield.
"This is probably the toughest day of my life," Graves County Executive Judge Jesse Perry said, his voice breaking. "The only thing I can say to you all, at this time, what we need from everyone ... We need your prayers, we need your help."
Kentucky Governor: More than 100 Feared Dead
"This has been the most devastating tornado event in our state’s history … The level of devastation is unlike anything I have ever seen," Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news conference in Mayfield at around 11 a.m.
Earlier, the governor estimated that between 50 and 100 were killed, including at a candle factory in Mayfield where more than 100 were working when the storm hit late Friday night.
"I’m now certain that number is north of 70. It may in fact end up exceeding 100 before the day is done," Beshear said. "The damage is even worse now that we have first light."
The governor said he expected a federal emergency declaration within the hour.