Six people were killed, one hospitalized and others injured when the roof of an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, collapsed during Friday’s severe storms that cut a swath of death and destruction through several states.
“We are able, at this time, to confirm that we have more than one fatality at that location,” Edwardsville Police Chief Mike Fillback said during a morning press conference broadcast on television station KSDK 5. “One individual was transported to a St. Louis area hospital by helicopter.”
Officials later Saturday confirmed six deaths.
According to a police press release, a wall the size of a football field and the roof above it collapsed at the warehouse located at 3077 Gateway Commerce Center Drive around 8:30 p.m. as a severe storm and possibly a tornado, smashed through the suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, which has about 26,000 people, and is around 25 miles from the city.
Several first responders including police, fire and emergency medical service personnel went to the scene and were still conducting search and rescue operations as of around 6 a.m., Fillback said.
Fillback said during the press conference that it was a “significant weather event,” but could not say for sure if it was a tornado that caused the devastation.
He said rescue and emergency crews were faced with several challenges at the site, including concrete debris, water from the fire suppression system, and cut electrical wires, which needed to be secured before first responders could safely enter the building.
He also said that the full number of people at the warehouse at the time of the collapse was still being determined because it did not have a steady staff.
Fillback said police currently believe around 50 people may have been working the shift when the wall and roof collapsed, and that Amazon management was on the scene to help determine the number of people that were there.
Police said that they transported around 30 people that were able to get out of the building by bus to the Pontoon Beach station to be reunited with their families.
Fillback said some others were able to leave the site on their own, and that only a “few” minor injuries were reported and did not require hospitalization.
In a statement Friday night, Amazon said the safety of the warehouse workers was its top priority.
“The safety and well-being of our employees and partners is our top priority right now,” Amazon spokesperson Richard Rocha said in the statement to KSDK. “We’re assessing the situation and will share additional information when it’s available.”
Fillback said police are not identifying the victims until the next of kin are notified but would have more information on the incident at another press conference later Saturday.
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