As tornadoes touched down Friday night and early Saturday morning in the South and Midwest, a train derailed in Hopkins Co., Ky., damaging several homes.
While 44News in Evansville, Ky., said there were not any fatalities reported due to the derailment as of early Saturday morning, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said up to 100 people in the state may have perished as at least four tornadoes swept in, according to WLKY TV.
Emergency crews and nearby residents headed to the site of the derailed train – between Mortons Gap, Barnsley, and Earlington, Ky. – Friday night to help. Reporter Valerie Lyons spoke with Eddie Corum, a nearby resident who arrived to help pull people from the debris He told 44News reporter Valerie Lyons many of his Mortons Gap neighbors did the same.
Beshear declared a state of emergency late Friday, due to the tornadoes. He said the destruction is the “most severe event in Kentucky history,” and noted that the primary tornado was on the ground continuously for over 200 miles, something we have never seen before.”
Outside of Kentucky, where the storms also trapped people in a candle factory, tornadoes caused another train derailment in Indiana.
“Following building warmth and humidity, the lid came off the atmosphere Friday evening as a cold front moved in from the west and lead to explosive thunderstorm development,” AccuWeather explained.
Tornadoes also took down an Amazon warehouse in Illinois, damaged a nursing home in Arkansas and caused fatalities in both Missouri and Tennessee. Along with death and destruction, the storms caused power outages across eight states that impacted 400,000 customers.
“Meteorologists remain concerned that the risk of severe thunderstorms may extend as far north as southern Michigan and northern Ohio early Saturday,” said AccuWeather.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram