Severe storms: Dozens of dead from tornadoes in the United States

More than 70 people were killed in Kentucky alone: ​​A series of violent tornadoes destroyed buildings and crushed vehicles in the southeastern United States. US President Biden spoke of an “unimaginable tragedy”.

Dozens of people were killed in a series of tornadoes in the United States. In the state of Kentucky alone, more than 70 people died, as announced by Governor Andy Beshear. At least four other fatalities were reported in Arkansas and Tennessee. According to police, there were also fatalities in a partially destroyed Amazon warehouse in Illinois.

The tornadoes – rapidly rotating vortices of air – had passed through half a dozen states in the southeast and central United States on Saturday night. Four of them devastated multiple counties in Kentucky. 200,000 households in the state were without power, according to the website poweroutage.com. Governor Beshear said it was the worst tornadoes in the state’s history.

Biden promises quick help

US President Joe Biden said he was shocked by the devastating consequences of the tornadoes. “Losing a loved one in a storm like this is an unimaginable tragedy,” he wrote on Twitter. “We are working with the governors to ensure they have everything they need as the survivor search and damage assessment continue.”

Several people were killed in the small town of Mayfield when the roof of a candle factory collapsed. Pictures and videos in online networks showed buildings destroyed by the storm as well as trees and bricks lying on the streets. Some of the houses are only ruined.

“Mayfield, in the county of Graves, will become ground zero,” Kentucky chief of civil protection Michael Dossett told CNN. “The city has been hit hardest. There is massive devastation.” Governor Beshear declared a state of emergency.

Dead in Amazon warehouse

Meanwhile, the emergency services in Illinois are concerned about the fate of around a hundred employees of an Amazon warehouse who are trapped in the building, which was partially destroyed by a tornado. They were on the night shift that processed Christmas orders. Televsion pictures showed that a large part of the roof of the warehouse in Edwardsville had been torn off and a wall had fallen into the building.

The local civil protection agency spoke of numerous victims. Police later said there were “confirmed fatalities”. Illinois Governor JB Pritzer said he was praying for the people of Edwardsville. Amazon spokesman Richard Rocha said the group was reviewing the situation.

Arkansas nursing home badly destroyed

At least two people were killed in the state of Arkansas. Among them was a resident of a nursing home in the city of Monette. 20 other nursing home residents, who were initially locked in the badly damaged building, were later rescued by the rescue workers. At least two other people died in Tennessee, a local civil protection representative told local media.

Scientists keep warning that the number of storms and their strength is increasing due to climate change. Areas in which extreme weather events already occur frequently are particularly affected.