After tornadoes killed at least 94 people and destroyed communities across the United States on Sunday, rescuers raced against time to find dozens of people still missing from a wrecked Kentucky factory.
“It’s a tragedy,” a shaken Biden, who pledged support for the affected states, said in televised comments. “And we still don’t know how many lives are lost and the full extent of the damage.”
President Joe Biden dubbed the wave of twisters, which included one that traveled more than 200 miles (320 kilometers), “one of the largest” storm outbreaks in American history.
Hundreds of search and rescue workers were helping horrified locals across the US heartland pick through the rubble of their homes and businesses overnight, with the death toll almost expected to grow.
More than 80 people have died in Kentucky, many of the workers at a candle factory in Mayfield, according to Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who boosted the confirmed death toll by ten.
And the forecast was grim. “That number is going to exceed more than 100,” Beshear told CNN.
Meanwhile, at least six people died on the night shift at an Amazon warehouse in Illinois, where they were processing orders.
According to reports, there were around 30 tornadoes in the area.
In other storm-ravaged states, at least 14 people were murdered, including six at an Amazon site in Illinois.
Four people were killed in Tennessee, two in Arkansas, and two more in Missouri. Mississippi was also hit by tornadoes.
Biden stated that he intends to visit the devastated communities.
Around 100 workers are said to be stuck inside the Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois.
