Violent tornadoes sweep the United States, several dozen dead

Published on : 12/11/2021 – 12:46

Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms hit several states in the east-central United States on Friday evening, killing at least 50 people in Kentucky, state Governor Andy Beshear said on Saturday (Dec.11).

“I’m afraid there are more than 50 dead in Kentucky […], we are probably closer to 70 to 100 dead, it’s awful, “he said at a press conference. Several counties in this state have been devastated, he added.

The roof collapse of a candle-making factory “has claimed countless lives” in the town of Mayfield, he said. “Before midnight, I declared a state of emergency,” he said.

Amazon workers trapped in warehouse

Amazon employees were also trapped on Saturday in a warehouse of the distribution giant ravaged the day before in Illinois, according to authorities and media who speak of a hundred people.

In Arkansas, one person is believed to have died, according to media reports. In Tennessee, at least two people have died in incidents related to the storm, according to an emergency management official quoted by local media.

The head of operations for the Storm Prediction Center within the US Weather Service, the National Weather Service, said tornadoes hit at least five states (Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas), The New York Times reports .

With AFP and Reuters