Up to 100 People Feared Dead After Tornados Hit Kentucky (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The US state of Kentucky's governor said the number of deaths would likely "exceed 50" and could be as high as 100 after a series of powerful tornados hit the US.
At least 50 people are thought to have been killed in Kentucky after tornadoes ripped across the South and Midwest of the US on Friday.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear estimated the toll would 'exceed 50' but could reach 100 after 'some of the worst tornado damage' the state has experienced 'in a long time', the Daily Mail reported.
'It's been one of the toughest nights in Kentucky's history,' Beshear told a news conference early on Saturday. 'I fear that there are more than 50 dead in Kentucky... probably closer to somewhere between 70 and 100, it's devastating.'
A spokeswoman for the state's emergency management service said that rescue officials had not confirmed figures for deaths or injuries as of early Saturday.
Beshear added the town of Mayfield had been devastated and said the damage was 'some of the worst we've seen in a long time.'
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 and another person killed in Missouri.
A further three people were killed in the severe weather in Tennessee, Dean Flener, spokesman for the state's Emergency Management Agency said.
Elsewhere, in Illinois, authorities said many people were trapped after a roof partially collapsed at an Amazon.com Inc warehouse near St. Louis late on Friday, after tornadoes and strong storms blew through the area.
At least 100 emergency vehicles descended upon the Amazon warehouse near Edwardsville, Illinois, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of St. Louis, where a wall that was about the length of a football field collapsed, as did the roof above it.
It wasn't immediately clear how many people were hurt, but one person was flown by helicopter to a hospital.
Edwardsville Police Chief Mike Fillback said several people who were in the building were taken by bus to the police station in nearby Pontoon Beach for evaluation. By early Saturday, rescue crews were still sorting through the rubble to determine if anyone was trapped inside. Fillback said the process would last for several more hours. Cranes and backhoes were brought in to help move debris.
Across the region, tornadoes on Friday night were barreling through parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky - with one becoming what a storm chaser said was the first quad-state tornado in U.S. history.
Footage on social media from across the region showed huge swirling towers of storm clouds sweeping across the plains.
showed multiple semis thrown onto their sides, twisted in the road.
The governor of Kentucky declared a state of emergency on Friday evening.
Andy Beshear activated the Kentucky Guard and Kentucky State Police to respond to the destruction in western Kentucky.
So far, no fatalities have been confirmed but officers said 'loss of life is expected,' according to WLWT.
Multiple agencies are responding and assisting Kentucky State Police.
The governor said he will providing an update with Kentucky Division of Emergency Management officials at 5am Saturday.
'We are praying for our Western Kentucky families,' Beshear said in a tweet.
