US Tornadoes: Drone footage reveals trail of destruction
Emma Murphy reports on the destructions caused by the tornadoes and the communities trying to get to grips with what has happened
Close to 100 people may have been killed in tornadoes and storms that have hit several US states, with drone footage laying bare the extent of the damage done.
The death toll from powerful tornadoes that devastated towns in Kentucky, the worst-hit state, could be around 50, the governor Andy Beshear said.
He said this was the most devastating tornado event in the state's history, having wrecked properties all along its 227-mile path.
Drone views of tornado damage, destroyed homes and property and debris in Kentucky.
Thousands of people had their homes destroyed and people remain missing with the exact death toll remaining unclear.
The storm tore through a candle factory in Kentucky, which has left at least eight people dead and another eight unaccounted for.
Rescuers were forced to crawl over dead bodies to reach those at the candle factory who were still alive, according to reports.
Another 12 people were reported killed in and around Bowling Green, Kentucky.
At least 14 deaths have been reported in four other states: Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri.
All these areas have all been severely impacted by the tornadoes which have left tens of thousands of people without power.
The tornadoes led to the death of at least one person at an Amazon facility in Edwardsville, Illinois, when the roof of the building was ripped off and a wall, the length of an American football field collapsed.
Rescue efforts have been hampered, as the tornadoes destroyed scores of properties.
"There are no doors,” said Mr Beshear.
Aerial footage of a courthouse in Mayfield, Kentucky, which suffered severe damage by the tornado. Video Credit: Whitney Westerfield/@KyWhitney
On Sunday morning, the governor said the state’s death toll could exceed 100.
But after it was confirmed that more than 90 of the 110 people in the candle factory had been found alive, he said that afternoon it might be as low as 50. “We are praying that maybe original estimates of those we have lost were wrong. If so, it’s going to be pretty wonderful,” the governor said. “We’re going to grieve together, we’re going to dig out and clean up together, and we will rebuild and move forward together. We’re going to get through this.”
In Tennessee, two storm-related fatalities were reported in the state’s northwestern corner, said Dean Flener, spokesman for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
President Joe Biden has said the deadly weather system is likely to be "one of the largest tornado outbreaks in US history" as he vowed to "provide whatever is needed" to people in need.
Previously, the longest a tornado had travelled along the ground in the US was a 219-mile storm in Missouri in March 1925 that claimed 695 lives.