Kentucky tornado: Governor confirms ‘north of 70’ people dead as images show devastation across six US states

Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted on Saturday that the damage done by the tornadoes is “heartbreaking”.

She said she and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff “are praying for the families impacted by last night’s tornadoes. The devastation for these communities is heartbreaking. Our Administration is working with state and local officials to support immediate assistance and rescue efforts in the affected areas”.

Kyanna Parsons-Perez, 40, was one of the staffers trapped inside when a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky collapsed as it was hit by a tornado.

The storm came after the workers had been moved to a shelter area.

“We felt the wind. My ears started popping, and then it was like the building, like we all just rocked back and forth, and then boom, everything fell on us,” Ms Parsons-Perez told CNN. “It was the most terrifying thing that I have ever experienced in my life.”

“At first, I was really calm, and I was trying to keep my coworkers calm ... but then, after being pinned down for so long, and my legs were hurting and I couldn’t move them and I couldn’t feel them and stuff like that, I started to panic myself,” she said.

Governer Andy Beshear has said that there were about 110 people inside Mayfield Consumer Products when it collapsed.

“We believe we’ll lose at least dozens of those individuals,” he said early on Saturday.

The White House said on Saturday that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the devastation hitting at least six states after tornadoes tore through the area.

Mr Biden was briefed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, Deanne Criswell, who “described the severe consequences, including in Kentucky, and tragic losses of life”.

The homeland security adviser, the deputy chief of staff, and the intergovernmental affairs director were also part of the briefing.

Ms Criswell “also briefed on the rapid deployment of FEMA emergency response personnel, water and other needed commodities,” the White House said.

“The President has directed that Federal resources be surged immediately to the locations where there is the greatest need to alleviate suffering from the devastating consequences of these storms,” the White House added. “Because damage assessments are ongoing, further briefings will be provided to the President in the course of the day.”

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has said that the number of dead “may in fact end up exceeding 100 before the day is done”.

He added that he thinks it’s “the deadliest tornado system” to ever hit the state of Kentucky.

The governor said earlier on Saturday that the state would lose at least 50 residents.

“I’m now certain that that number is north of 70,” Mr Beshear said during a press briefing.

Dozens are believed to have died when a candle factory in Kentucky, Mayfield Consumer Products, was hit by a tornado. Around 110 people are believed to have been inside.

“When I got to this area, it was flashing lights in every direction. Trees down, roads impassable. It looked like a war zone,” storm chaser Michael Gordon told CNN.

Kentucky Republican Representative James Comer told CNN: “When [first-responders] arrived on the scene, they didn’t think there would be any survivors. But they could hear people yelling for help. And they pulled people out, some people that didn’t experience any damages.”

“But, of course, now, you’re at the point to where you’re pulling out the people that didn’t make it,” Mr Comer added. “And there’s still lots of people unaccounted for in that factory.”

The estimates of casualties suggest that the string of tornadoes could be the worst weather event in the history of the state.

Nothing of this scale has been seen since 1917 when 67 people were killed in the western parts of the state.

“It has been one of the toughest nights in Kentucky history,” Kentuck Governor Andy Beshear said on Saturday. “Some areas have been hit in ways that are hard to put into words.”

Kyanna Parsons-Perez, 40, works at the candle factory that collapsed when it was hit by a tornado.

She told NBC News that everyone was “getting down, taking cover”, and then she felt her ears “popping”.

“Like, you know when you’re on the plane?” she said. Then the lights went out. “And then before you know it, it was like the building rocked and collapsed and we fell down.”

She said it was like a falling “house of cards”.

“We were just trying to stay calm until they come and got us,” she added.

Storm chaser Brandon Lee shared a video on Twitter of a dog in a collapsed house after tornadoes devastated areas in at least six states.

“This will be a night I won’t forget. Helping with search and rescue I found this dog protecting its puppies in a collapsed two-story home (Not sure about the people living here). Breaks my heart [to] see all these people lose everything,” Mr Lee wrote.

One of the tornadoes to hit the US overnight could have gone on for as long 250 miles, hitting four states.

“The storm of this latest severe weather event tracked more than 250 miles through several states (including Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky),” the National Weather Service in Little Rock, Arkansas tweeted early on Saturday morning. “One or more deadly tornadoes were spawned, with major structural damage noted.”

It probably won’t be confirmed if it was one or several tornadoes until next week, but if it’s determined to be a single twister, it would be the longest tornado path ever recorded, CNN reported.