US, at least 80 killed in series of tornadoes that flattened the factory in Kentucky (video-photo)

Governor Andy Beshear told local media that the death toll could reach up to 100, as the powerful tornado completely flattened a factory in the town of Mayfield, with dozens of workers inside it at the time of the strike.

Beshear described Friday night as “One of the worst in Kentucky history.” as he added that “Many areas have been hit so hard that it is difficult to describe in words.”

Local authorities said Friday night storms could be more deadly and devastating than the 1974 tornado that killed 71 people.

Beshear declared a state of emergency, urging the National Guard to assist in the aftermath of the disaster and for the federal government to declare a state of emergency.

In one of the worst-hit areas of Graves County, the tornado destroyed the local courthouse and the nearby prison.

Authorities said they had sent “two giant containers of water “ to provide drinking water to the area.

The devastation in Kentucky was caused by some of the 24 tornadoes that were reported in at least five U.S. states – Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee.

The storms are expected to continue over the weekend with eastward direction, possibly including cities like Nashville, Memphis, and Shreveport.

In the town of Edwardsville, Illinois, a wall more than 100 feet tall collapsed along with the roof of an Amazon network warehouse, knocking down about 100 employees. Police there have confirmed at least two victims and search and rescue operations are ongoing.

In the town of Monette, Arkansas, a tornado hit an old people’s home, killing at least two people and injuring more than 20 others.

A freeway was blocked by crashed trucks in Arkansas while in Kentucky there were railroad suspensions from bad mortality.

At least 200,000 residents have power outages, which have affected several US states.

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