Dozens feared dead as tornadoes rock in Kentucky

 

Several people have been confirmed dead as deadly tornadoes stormed through the city of Kentucky in the United States, leaving in its wake serious damage to structures.

Police said in a statement the storms unleashed devastating tornadoes late Friday and early Saturday across parts of the central and southern US including Kentucky.

The Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, said at a media briefing the death toll would exceed 50 after “one of the toughest nights in the state’s history.”

More than 30 tornadoes have been reported in at least six states with a stretch of more than 200 miles from Arkansas to Kentucky might have been hit by one violent long-track twister, meteorologists said.

Among the most significant damage was an occupied candle factory in Kentucky, an Amazon warehouse in western Illinois, and a nursing home in Arkansas, killing people at each site and leaving responders scrambling to rescue others.

According to Beshear, the extent of destruction will not be known fully for hours, but video emerging from those three states alone showed flattened buildings, overturned vehicles and workers scouring rubble for trapped people as a result of breathtaking damage in some areas.

He said: “We believe our death toll from this event will exceed 50 Kentuckians, probably end up closer to 70 to 100 lost lives.”

“This will be one of the most significant, the most extensive disasters that Kentucky has faced,” Kentucky emergency management director Michael Dossett said, adding this was ‘one of the darkest days in the state’s history.”