dealing with a violent tornado. the storm hit after dark friday leveling everything in its path about 110 people were working overtime as production stepped up for the holidays at one of mayfield s largest employers, a local candle factory when the roof caved in on them. they actually recovered bodies from the woods and they were pulling them out and that s just it s gut-wrenching to see. homes caught fire, trucks and cars were flipped. it ripped it off. some even ripped to shreds planes at the local airport will never fly again. if you had to describe what s happened to your town to people that don t live here, what would you say? it s gone across kentucky, more destruction from a train derailment in hopkins county t more destroyed businesses in bowling green and homes ripped off roofs in danville. this event is the worst, most devastating, most deadly tornado event in kentucky s history. i believe that by the
than 200 miles in kentucky, hitting the small town of mayfield hard. workers on christmas shifts at a candle factory were buried by several tornadoes that came hurtling in the dark. it s thought up to 110 people were inside. a0 have made it out. this has been the most devastating tornado event in our state s history, and for those that have seen it, what it has done here, and in grace county, and elsewhere, it s indescribable. a state of emergency has been declared in kentucky, as a huge rescue operation gets under way. authorities are facing huge challenges. the police station in mayfield has been destroyed and firefighters have lost equipment. there is no power. nearly 200 troops from the national guard are helping and more than half the population of this town are without electricity and water on one of the coldest months of the year.
slightly 300 soldiers and airmen the kentucky. 106 of which are here in graves county. we are performing missions, search and rescue clearance and providing air support and airlift. we continue to anticipate the needs and process the request of kentucky operations. as always, we fight as kentuckians. thank you. always, we fight as kentuckians. thank yon- thank you. studio: that s thank you. studio: that s the thank you. studio: that s the latest - thank you. studio: i that s the latest from thank you. studio: that s the latest from kentucky. let s go live to los angeles and speak to our north america correspondent peter bowes. a recognition that a0 hours on from this tornado event, they re still searching. that s a poignant story popping up- searching. that s a poignant story pepping up popping up. yeah, definitely. hearin: popping up. yeah, definitely. hearing the popping up. yeah, definitely. hearing the governor - popping up. yeah, definitely. hearing the governor sayin
nomia iqbal reports. the scale of the destruction has been extraordinary. in the dead of night, dark funnel clouds roared across six states in four hours at a speed of 220 mph, obliterating everything in their path. this small town of mayfield in kentucky has been hit hard. workers on christmas shifts at this candle factory were buried by several tornadoes that came hurtling in the dark. it is thought up to 110 people were inside. a0 have made it out. this has been the most devastating tornado event in our state s history. and for those that have seen it, what it s done here in grace county and elsewhere, it is indescribable. a state of emergency has been declared in kentucky as a huge rescue operation gets under way, but authorities are facing huge challenges. the police station in mayfield has been destroyed
this event is the worst, most devastating, most deadly tornado event in kentucky s history. we will be north of at least 70 lives lost here in kentucky. i think we will have lost more than 100 people. and i think it could rise significantly. we re seeing things that none of us have ever seen before. the damage here is undescribable. it s changed the landscape of the city that we know here in mayfield. i m looking for my wife.