A storm struck an Arkansas nursing home, an Amazon warehouse in Illinois

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A tornado broke out at a nursing home in Arkansas on Friday night, killing at least two people. Rescuers in southern Illinois also responded to reports of injuries in Amazon warehouses after the roof collapsed in a storm.

Judge Marvin Day of Craighead County told The Associated Press at around 8:15 pm that a tornado struck a nursing home in Monette Manor, trapping 20 people when the building collapsed. Approximately 90 minutes later, the building was cleared and everyone who was initially thought to be inside was explained, but Mr. Day said the crew still had to look for wreckage and look for additional victims. I said there is.

“It looks like it’s been pretty destroyed,” Day said of the building. “… it happens soon, but it seems that there was some time for the tornado siren to ring.” Some residents were found in the basement and “and were prepared for this,” he says. rice field.

He said five were seriously injured and several others were slightly injured. Nursing homes have 86 beds.

The day warned the residents to evacuate to the designated place.

“The worst thing will be gone,” Day said.

Video from a St. Louis television station showed dozens of emergency vehicles at the Amazon Center near Edwardsville, Illinois, about 25 miles west of St. Louis. It wasn’t immediately known if or how many people were injured, but Facebook’s Emergency Management Agency in Collinsville, Illinois calls it a “massive casualty.” A source told KTVI-TV that it was believed that up to 100 people were working in night shifts at the time of the collapse.

Belleville News-Democrat reports that the Amazon Fulfillment Center in Edwardsville opened two warehouses in 2016 with 1.5 million square feet of space. Warehouses are used to store items until they are shipped to mail-order customers.

The collapse occurred as a heavy thunderstorm that struck the St. Louis region, and perhaps as a tornado. Winds up to 70 mph have been reported in parts of St. Charles and St. Louis County, Missouri. At least three St. Charles County residents were hospitalized and several homes near Augusta, Missouri were damaged.

“Employee and partner safety and welfare are now our top priorities,” Amazon spokeswoman Richard Rocha said in a statement Friday night. “We are assessing the situation and it is now available.” We will share additional information at this point. “

Illinois Governor JB Pritzkar said on Twitter that Illinois police and disaster officials are coordinating with local Edwardsville officials to monitor the situation.

“My prayer is with the people of Edwardsville tonight, and I contacted the mayor to provide the necessary state resources,” Pritzker said.

Storms in Illinois and Arkansas were in several Midwestern locations that reported that tornadoes were found or were on the ground.

The storm caused additional damage as it chased through Tennessee towards Kentucky. Several buildings have collapsed in Mayfield’s southern Kentucky community, said Sara Burgess, a Kentucky police soldier in Mayfield.

Burgess said no deaths were reported. She said some people were trapped inside a damaged candle factory in Mayfield.

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Jablon reported from Los Angeles. Salter reported by O’Fallon, Missouri. Associated Press journalists John Rabbie of Charleston, West Virginia and Jeff McMurray of Chicago contributed to this report.

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