A deadly tornado ripped through Arkansas and into part of Illinois on Friday night, leaving at least one person dead inside a nursing home, reports said.
At least 20 people were trapped inside the nursing home in Monette, Ark., after the twister struck. One person was reported killed, five others were injured, according to Marvin Day, the Craighead County judge.
The tornado struck the Monette Manor at around 8:15 p.m. and a search and rescue team was called shortly after to help those trapped in the building, Day told The Post.
Upon entering the building, first responders discovered one person dead and five others with serious injuries, he said.
“The building has been cleared,” Day said.
Earlier reports said that two people had died in the nursing home. Officials were working early Saturday to relocate residents to a safer location.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a tweet at around 9:30 that “a tornado has struck in Mississippi County” and “first responders are on the scene.”
The severe weather system moved north into Illinois and devastated an Amazon distribution center in Edwardsville, Ill.
Multiple workers were trapped inside the building after a “structural collapse,” according to Fox 2 in Illinois. Family members rushed to the site of the Amazon warehouse, hoping their loved ones were safe.
“He was on the phone with me while it was happening,” Aisha White told KMOV while waiting outside the building. “The tornado was hitting the back of the building, the trucks were coming in, I told him to jump out the truck and duck. We watched the building go up, stuff hitting the cars, I told him I was on my way.”
The tornado or series of twisters also reportedly touched in the towns of Mayfield and Benton, Kentucky.
According to WPSD-TV, the courthouse in Mayfield, Ky was completely destroyed or severely damaged.
The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings throughout the region as the deadly weather system continued its pace northward.
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