More Than 50 Dead in Kentucky Alone as Devastating Tornadoes Strike Six States

A devastating tornado outbreak tore through Kentucky and five other states on Friday night, killing dozens of people and leaving people trapped in factories and warehouses. More than 30 tornadoes were reported in Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, Kentucky, and Mississippi. The main tornado that struck Kentucky traveled more than 227 miles, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said. “We believe our death toll from this event will exceed 50 Kentuckians and probably end up 70 to 100,” he said at a news conference. “It’s very hard, really tough, and we’re praying for each and every one of those families.” The governor noted that “this is going to be some of the worst tornado damage that we have seen in a long time.”

Communities across the Midwest and southern United States were rushing to assess the damage on Saturday morning after the powerful storms struck overnight amid fears that dozens of people could be dead. There are “confirmed fatalities” in an Amazon warehouse in Illinois that saw its roof collapse and rescue workers were still trying to sort through the rubble on Saturday morning.

Some of the worst destruction appears to have taken place in Kentucky, particularly in the small city of Mayfield. About 110 people were in a candle factory in the city when the tornado hit and tore out the roof. “We could feel the wind … then we did a little rock,” Kyanna Parsons-Perez, who was inside the factor, told NBC. “And then boom everything came down on us.” Across the affected states tens of thousands of people were without power Saturday morning, including 132,000 homes in Tennessee and 56,000 in Kentucky.

In Arkansas, at least one person was killed when a tornado struck nursing home in the city of Monette and trapped 20 people inside. Nearby, a woman was killed in a Dollar General store. In Tennessee, at least three people were killed, two in Lake County and one in Obion County.