More than 80 killed in Kentucky after deadly tornado tore through several states

More than 80 people in Kentucky have been killed after tornadoes swept through several US states late on Friday.

“I know we’ve lost over 80 Kentuckians. That number will exceed 100. This is the deadliest tornado event we’ve ever had,” Governor Andy Beshear said on CNN Sunday morning.

Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee were hit by a series of dangerous storms and tornadoes Friday night. Beshear declared a state of emergency and President Joe Biden said that FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was in each of the six states to assess the damage.

Beshear will hold a press conference on the latest developments at 3:30 p.m. ET.

There were 12 confirmed deaths from Friday’s storm in Warren County, Kentucky, where more than 500 homes and 100 businesses were destroyed. At least 12 deaths have been reported in the Bremen community area of ​​Muhlenberg County, NBC News reported.

In Illinois, six people were confirmed dead and one injured after a Amazon The distribution center collapsed in Edwardsville. A total of 45 people were safely rescued from the site and the operation shifted from rescue to recovery, Governor JB Pritzker said at a news conference Saturday.

“The federal government will do everything, everything it can to help” Biden said during a press conference Saturday from Wilmington, Delaware.

“I promise you, whatever is needed, whatever is needed, the federal government will find a way to provide it,” Biden added.

One of the storms rip off the four states, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky, on the road at least 220 miles. This trail is among the longest tornadoes in US history if it’s still above ground. The National Weather Service will conduct a formal survey to determine if it was a single, continuous tornado, NBC News reported.

—Jessica Bursztynsky of CNBC contributed to this report.