SEARCH AND RECOVERY

No More Survivors Expected in Wreckage of Amazon Warehouse Hit by Tornado

“At this point we have transitioned to search and recovery,” the fire chief said after six confirmed deaths.

Authorities in Edwardsville, Illinois, no longer expect to find any survivors in the wreckage of the Amazon warehouse hit by a tornado on Friday night. With six deaths confirmed following the brutal storm, the fire chief confirmed late Saturday that all response efforts will now be devoted to “search and recovery.” At least forty-five people walked away from the wrecked warehouse after its roof fell and walls caved in. However, there was no comprehensive account of how many people were at the facility, so authorities cannot yet be certain how many people may have been hurt, or possibly killed, by the disaster.

As reported in The New York Times, Alonzo Harris, an Amazon employee, was at the building when the storm hit and recalled running for shelter. He said: “I felt like the floor was coming off the ground. I felt the wind blowing and saw debris flying everywhere, and people started screaming and hollering and the lights went out.”