At least 50 people have been killed in a series of devastating tornadoes that hit Kentucky and other US states on Friday evening and early Saturday, according to the southern state’s governor.
In a press conference on Saturday morning, Andy Beshear said Kentucky was “nearing the end of the most severe tornado event” in the state’s history.
“We believe our death toll from this event will exceed 50 Kentuckians,” he said.
This figure would “probably end up closer to 70 to 100 lost lives”, Mr Beshear added.
The winter storm began in the early hours on Friday and has since tore through five states, leaving a trail of destruction that includes the collapse of an Amazon warehouse in Illinois.
In Arkansas, two people were killed and several others seriously injured after a tornado ripped through a nursing home on Friday night.
Tornadoes have also been reported in Tennessee and Missouri.
Kentucky’s governor told local media 50 people were “likely” to have been killed in his state, but the death toll could also end up being “significantly north of that”, according to the Washington Post,
“The reports are really heartbreaking,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.
The National Weather Service imposed a tornado watch for parts of Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio until early Saturday morning local time.
