At least 50 people died from tornadoes that swept through Kentucky and other US states between late Friday (10) and early Saturday (11), Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said.
Multiple tornadoes touched the surface in several locations across the state of Kentucky, causing damage in more than a dozen counties. The first tornado traveled more than 232 km across the state, according to Beshear.
“This was one of the most difficult nights in Kentucky history and some areas were hit in a way that is difficult to express in words,” the governor said.
Earlier on Saturday, Beshear said at least 50 people had died, and the death toll is likely to rise and exceed 70 as authorities complete their searches.
“The day will bring more difficult news,” Beshear told a news conference.
The collapse of the roof of a candle factory left a large number of victims in the city of Mayfield, the governor said.
The storms left casualties and damage in several states in the southeastern and south-central United States on Friday.
Bill Bunting, chief operating officer for the Storm Prediction Center, part of the National Weather Service, said at least five states were hit by the tornadoes, citing Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas, according to New York Times reports.
Amazon employees were stranded at a company distribution post that collapsed on Friday in Illinois, officials said. There were about 100 people in the place.
Another person died in Arkansas, according to the Washington Post.
In Tennessee, at least two people have died in storm-related accidents, according to an emergency management official quoted by local media.
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