No injuries or deaths were confirmed at the Amazon warehouse in Collinsville, Illinois. The collapse is a result of tornadoes and storms hitting five states.
- An Amazon warehouse in Collinsville, Illinois, has collapsed.
- No injuries or deaths have been confirmed, but one person was seen being airlifted to hospital.
- The collapse is due to severe weather hitting the state of Illinois.
An Amazon warehouse in Collinsville, Illinois, has collapsed due to severe weather.
A wall the length of a football field, as well as the roof above it, collapsed in the warehouse situated roughly about 25 miles east of St. Louis, AP reports.
On their Facebook, the Collinsville Emergency Management Agency stated that “subjects were trapped inside” and described the event as a “mass casualty incident.”
The number of casualties has not yet been confirmed, but Sky News reports that one person was flown to hospital from the warehouse.
Authorities have confirmed a search and rescue operation is in place, Reuters reports.
“Please be patient with us. Our fire personnel are doing everything they can to reunite everyone with their loved ones,” Edwardsville Police Chief Mike Fillback said on KMOV-TV.
Approximately three hours after the collapse was reported, 46 Amazon workers who had been rescued from the building were bussed by Madison County Transit to the Pontoon Beach Police Department, KMOV reported.
FOX2 spoke to the stepson of an Amazon worker from whom they’ve not yet heard from.
“Our mother is basically hysterical at this point, trying to find out what’s going on. She’s really worried. We’re worried too. At this point, I’m starting to get pretty scared that he got hurt or worse.” said Connor Jones.
It is currently unclear how many people are currently trapped inside the building.
The collapse is due to tornados and severe storms surging through five states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri.
Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois tweeted that “[his] prayers are with the people of Edwardsville tonight, and I’ve reached out to the mayor to provide any needed state resources.”
When KMOV reached out to Amazon for comment, spokesperson Richard Rocha offered the following statement: “The safety and well-being of our employees and partners is our top priority right now. We’re assessing the situation and will share additional information when it’s available.”
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
