Over 70 dead as 22 reported tornadoes rip across South, Midwest

(NEW YORK) — A devastating tornado outbreak has killed dozens of people across two states, with Kentucky seeing its deadliest tornado system ever, officials said.

At least 70 people were killed in western Kentucky, and the death toll could exceed 100 people, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.

“This has been the most devastating tornado event in our state’s history,” Beshear said during a Saturday morning press briefing. For those that have seen it, what it’s done here and Graves County and elsewhere, it is indescribable.”

“Dozens” were killed at a candle factory in Mayfield, where 110 people were working when the storm hit Friday night, Beshear said during a 4 a.m. press conference. Around 40 people were evacuated, although the facility had major structural damage from the storm and housed dangerous equipment, he said late Saturday morning.

“It’s a very dire situation at this point,” Beshear said. “I think the largest loss of life in this tornado event is and will be there.”

It will be a “miracle” if anyone is found alive at this point, he said during a briefing Saturday afternoon.

One tornado potentially was on the ground for 227 miles, he said, devastating towns like Mayfield and Princeton late Friday. At least four tornadoes tore through western Kentucky.

“A good portion of Dawson Springs is gone,” the governor said of his father’s hometown.

“One block from my grandparents’ house, there’s no house standing,” Beshear said. “We don’t know where all those people are.”

Beshear has activated the National Guard with 181 guardsmen deployed for search and rescue and recovery operations.

“We will make it through this, we will rebuild,” Beshear said at a 4 a.m. press conference. “We are strong, resilient people, and we will be there every step of the way.”

In southern Illinois, in Edwardsville, an Amazon distribution warehouse was hit by a tornado, causing massive damage to the facility, officials said. The EF-3 tornado had peak winds of at least 136 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Officials confirmed at least two fatalities, but said the search and rescue operations are still ongoing. Several dozen workers were able to escape from the building on their own, Edwardsville Police Chief Michael Fillback said Saturday morning.

In a statement Saturday morning, Richard Rocha, an Amazon spokesperson, said: “The safety and well-being of our employees and partners is our top priority right now. We’re assessing the situation and will share additional information when it’s available.”

There were at least 22 reported tornadoes across six states: Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. In addition to Edwardsville, two EF-3 tornadoes were confirmed in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and near Defiance, Missouri, according to the National Weather Service.

A powerful supercell thunderstorm traveled more than 200 miles Friday night, from Arkansas to Kentucky, and likely spawned several large, strong tornadoes across four states.

Michael Dossett, director of Kentucky’s Division of Emergency Management, compared the storms to the April 1974 outbreak that spawned hundreds of tornadoes across several states and killed more than 30 in Kentucky alone.

“Rescues and search efforts are ongoing, even before the wind stopped blowing, crews were out working,” Dossett said Saturday morning.

Despite a COVID-19 surge in Kentucky, Beshear said hospitals were in good shape.

The governor declared a state of emergency and submitted a request for a federal emergency declaration. President Joe Biden approved the emergency declaration, which applies to 15 impacted counties, Saturday afternoon.

In Madisonville, Kentucky, a train derailment was caused by the storms, though there were no reported injuries. The freight train was carrying hazardous materials, Beshear wrote in his letter asking for a federal emergency declaration.

The storms began to cause tornadoes in the early evening hours west of Kentucky.

Shortly before 7 p.m. local time, a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” was confirmed near Jonesboro, Arkansas, moving northeast at 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

A tornado near Hornersville, Missouri, was on the ground at about 8 p.m. local time. Tornadoes were also confirmed on the ground in Mayfield, Kentucky, at about 9:30 p.m. local time and in Princeton, Kentucky, just after 10 p.m. local time.

There were reports of two people dead after a tornado moved through northeast Arkansas, according to Gov. Asa Hutchinson. One person was killed at a nursing home in Monette when a suspected tornado moved through Friday night, Craighead County, Arkansas, Judge Marvin Day told Jonesboro ABC affiliate KAIT. Authorities had initially said two people were killed. Five others suffered serious injuries.

FEMA was advising residents from east-central Mississippi to extreme southwestern Virginia to stay vigilant as the storm system moved east.

As of 11 a.m. Saturday, more than 450,000 customers were without power across Tennessee, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas.

ABC News’ Victoria Arancio, Ahmad Hemingway, Matt Foster, Hope Osemwenkhae and Matthew Vann contributed to this report.

ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway, Matt Foster and Hope Osemwenkhae contributed to this report.

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