(Bloomberg) — The U.S. South and Midwest were slammed by severe tornadoes Friday night, with the death toll in Kentucky likely to be over 50 while the roof collapsed at an Amazon.com warehouse in Illinois.
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Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency, activated the National Guard, and asked President Joe Biden for an emergency declaration.
Beshear said at a press conference that fatalities in the state could be as high as 100.
Multiple incidents have been reported from four tornadoes to touch down in Kentucky, including the collapse of a candle factory’s roof that resulted in mass casualties. Thousands of homes in the state are without power.
“This tornado may surpass the 1974 super outbreak as one of the most deadliest in Kentucky history,” said Michael Dossett, director of the state’s Division of Emergency Management at the press briefing. “Rescues and search efforts are ongoing.”
The hardest hit county among about 19 to experience damage from the storms appears to be Graves county in the state’s far southwest, bordering Tennessee.
Part of the roof and wall collapsed at the Amazon facility near Edwardsville, Illinois, northeast of St. Louis, according to the Associated Press.
Three storm-related deaths were confirmed in Tennessee, according to the state’s emergency management authorities. At least one person was reported dead in Arkansas.
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