Photos from Monstrous tornadoes leave dozens dead in five Midwest states

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Photos from Monstrous tornadoes leave dozens dead in five Midwest states

MAYFIELD, Kentucky (AP) – A monstrous tornado that carved a route that could rival the longest ever swept through the middle of the United States in a storm front that killed dozens, tore apart a candle factory, crashed a nursing home, derailed a train, and wrecked it an Amazon warehouse.

In Kentucky alone, 22 dead were confirmed by Saturday afternoon, including 11 in and around Bowling Green. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said more than 70 may have been killed when a Twister touched more than 200 miles in his state, and that the death toll could eventually exceed 100 in 10 or more counties.

The death toll of 36 in five states includes six people in Illinois, where an Amazon plant was hit; four in Tennessee; two in Arkansas, where a nursing home was destroyed; and two in Missouri.

If early reports are confirmed, the twister is “likely to go down as one of the longest violent tornadoes in United States history,” said Victor Gensini, an extreme weather researcher at Northern Illinois University.

Search for rescue teams working at the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory early Sunday, December 12, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Tornadoes and storms caused catastrophic damage in several states on Friday, killing several people overnight. (Ryan C. Hermens / Lexington Herald-Leader via AP)
Timothy McDill stands near his tornado-damaged home in Mayfield, Kentucky on Saturday, December 11, 2021. Tornadoes and storms wreaked havoc in several states on Friday, killing dozens of people overnight. (AP Photo / Mark Humphrey)
MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 12: Homes and businesses are reduced to rubble after a tornado ripped through the area two days earlier on December 12, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes struck several Midwestern states in the late evening of December 10, causing widespread destruction and killing more than 80. (Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***
This aerial photo shows the destruction from a recent tornado in downtown Mayfield, Kentucky, Sunday December 12, 2021. (AP Photo / Gerald Herbert)
People help recover items from a destroyed house on Saturday, December 11, 2021, in Mayfield, Kentucky. Tornadoes and storms caused catastrophic damage in several states on Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo / Mark Humphrey)
MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 12: Rubble littered the city after a tornado hit Mayfield, Kentucky on Friday evening December 12, 2021. Several tornadoes landed in several Midwestern states late Friday evening, causing widespread destruction and killing an estimated 70 people. (Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***
Luke Schockley transports debris from a tornado to his in-laws’ home in Bowling Green, Kentucky on Saturday, December 11, 2021. A monstrous tornado killed dozens of people in Kentucky and the number rose by at least five states on Saturday after severe weather that left widespread devastation. (AP Photo / Michael Clubb)
Rescue workers dig through the rubble of the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky on Saturday, December 11, 2021. Tornadoes and storms caused catastrophic damage in several states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo / Timothy D. Easley)
MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY – DECEMBER 12: James Strickland prepares breakfast on the porch of his father’s house that was destroyed when a tornado swept through town on Friday evening December 12, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes landed in several Midwestern states late Friday, causing widespread destruction and killing an estimated 70 people. (Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***
A car destroyed by a tornado sits on top of another car in Bowling Green, Kentucky on Saturday, December 11, 2021. A monstrous tornado killed dozens of people in Kentucky and the toll rose Saturday after storms ripped through at least five states, leaving widespread devastation. (AP Photo / Michael Clubb)
People embrace as tornado damage is seen after extreme weather hit the area on December 12, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Dozens of devastating tornadoes thundered through five US states overnight, killing more than 80 people on Saturday in what President Joe Biden said, “one of the largest” storms in history. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
This photo combo shows Katie Posten holding the front and back of a photo she found on the windshield of her car in New Albany, Indiana on Saturday, December 11, 2021. The photo is from a tornado-damaged home in Kentucky that was nearly 130 years old. Landed miles away in Indiana. (Katie Posten via AP).

Photos: Monstrous tornadoes leave dozens dead in five Midwest states