At least six people have been confirmed dead following an Amazon (AMZN) warehouse building collapse after an EF-3 tornado caused major structural damage to the building Friday December 10, according to the Edwardsville Fire Department in Illinois.
Tornadoes ripped through six U.S. states on Friday night, leaving a trail of death and destruction at homes and businesses stretching more than 200 miles.
Forty-five people made it out of the building, with one person airlifted to a regional hospital for treatment, Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said during a Saturday night news conference.
“Earlier this afternoon, the response portion of this incident came to a close and we’re now focused solely on recovery,” Whiteford said.
The recovery phase is expected to take three more days and first responders will continue “to search the site for evidence of life,” he said.
Amazon Worldwide Consumer CEO Dave Clark said the company’s staff was saddened at the loss of life at the facility and beyond.