US:at least 50 dead as tornado hits four states

The tornado came as storms wreaked havoc in multiple US states.The tornadoes tore through the four states -- Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee -- with warnings in effect for Illinois. At least 50 people are dead after four tornadoes tore through the south Eastern US state of Kentucky, its governor told reporters early Saturday, as several storms ravaged swathes of the country. A number of counties in Kentucky were left devastated with the strongest tornado tearing through 200 miles of the state, Governor Andy Beshear said. On the same night a storm ripped through a massive Amazon warehouse in the state of Illinois where around 100 workers were left trapped inside, local media reported.

"I fear that there are more than 50 dead ..probably closer to somewhere between 70 and 100, it's devastating," Beshear said, adding that it was the "most severe tornado event in Kentucky's history." In one incident, the roof of a candle factory collapsed, resulting in "mass casualties" in the city of Mayfield, the governor added.  Hundreds of officials were working through the early hours of Saturday to rescue employees at an Amazon warehouse -- a third of which was reduced to rubble -- who were on the night shift processing orders ahead of the Christmas holidays. Amazon warehouse in the city of Edwardsville showed a large part of the facility's roof ripped off. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said: "My prayers are with the people of Edwardsville."

In Arkansas, one person was killed and 20 others were trapped after a tornado struck the Monette Manor nursing home, US media reported, with another person killed elsewhere in the state. In Tennessee, at least two people were killed in storm-related incidents, an emergency management official told local media. Scientists have warned that climate change is making storms more powerful and increasing their frequency, posing a growing threat to areas where extreme weather events are already common.