Chilling Photos Show The Widespread Damage Caused By Multiple Deadly Tornadoes

More than 100 people may have died in Kentucky alone, and officials have confirmed casualties in several other states as well.

By
Kate Bubacz
by Kate Bubacz

BuzzFeed News Photo Director

Multiple tornadoes tore through several states overnight, causing severe damage that was still being assessed on Saturday. More than 100 people may have died in Kentucky alone, and the governor there has declared a state of emergency. At least two people are dead in Illinois and another three in Tennessee. While tornadoes are rare in December, warmer weather can contribute to their formation.


Cheney Orr / Reuters

A derailed train is seen amid damage and debris in Earlington, Kentucky, on Dec. 11 after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several US states.

By Pat Mcdonogh / Reuters

Family and friends searched through the rubble of Chris Alvey's home on Highway 69 in Hartford, Kentucky, on Dec. 11 after the area was hit by overnight tornadoes.

Gunnar Word / AFP via Getty Images

A Bowling Green, Kentucky, resident surveys the damage on Dec. 11 following a tornado that struck the area.

Cheney Orr / Reuters

Bill Mosley walks with his wife, Bonnie, in Earlington, Kentucky, on Dec. 11 while carrying two of his guns, the only items he was able to recover after their home was destroyed during a devastating outbreak of tornadoes that ripped through several US states.

A desk sits amid debris below a collapsed roof
Joe Rondone / Reuters

Damage is seen at the Monette Manor nursing home in Monette, Arkansas, on Dec. 11 after a devastating overnight tornado.

Joe Rondone / Reuters

A wheelchair is seen near the wreckage of the Monette Manor nursing home Dec. 11 after an overnight tornado.

Timothy D. Easley / AP

A family digs through the remains of their apartment in Mayfield, Kentucky, on Dec. 11.

Pat Mcdonogh / Reuters

Family and friends search through the rubble of Chris Alvey's home on Highway 69 in Hartford, Kentucky, on Dec. 11 after the area was hit by overnight tornadoes.

Michael Clubb / AP

A house destroyed by a tornado in Campbellsville, Kentucky, on Dec. 11

Pews with debris below a collapsed roof
Brett Carlsen / Getty Images

Interior view of tornado damage to Emmanuel Baptist Church in Mayfield, Kentucky, on Dec. 11

Cheney Orr / Reuters

The scene of a train derailment in Earlington, Kentucky, is shown Dec. 11 after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several US states.


Lawrence Bryant / Reuters

A responder walks past the wreckage at the site of a roof collapse at an Amazon distribution center in Edwardsville, Illinois, on Dec. 11.

Timothy D. Easley / AP

Emergency response workers dig through the rubble of the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, on Dec. 11.

Drone Base / Reuters

The site of a roof collapse at an Amazon distribution center in Edwardsville, Illinois, on Dec. 11, a day after a series of tornadoes dealt a blow to several states.

By Pat Mcdonogh / Reuters

Andrew Alvey carries clothes to his truck at his brother's home on Highway 69 in Hartford, Kentucky, on Dec. 11. Chris Alvey's home was destroyed by a tornado overnight.


A "Family Dollar" sign is seen on a collapsed awning as people sit and stand nearby
Mark Humphrey / AP

Damage from a tornado is seen at a mall in Mayfield, Kentucky, on Dec. 11.

A man and a woman stand amid a scene of rubble
Mark Humphrey / AP

People inspect the remains of a destroyed business in Mayfield on Dec. 11.

Cheney Orr / Reuters

A classic car is seen in a bodyshop in Mayfield on Dec. 11 after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes ripped through several US states.


People walk between cars and debris, including fallen street signs
Gunnar Word / AFP via Getty Images

Bowling Green, Kentucky, residents look at the damage on Dec. 11 following a tornado that struck the area.

Matt Stone / Reuters

Destroyed buildings and massive debris from a tornado are seen in the small downtown of Mayfield, Kentucky, on Dec. 11.

Jeremy Hogan / Sipa USA via AP

Danny Mensor hugs his girlfriend Shawnee Thompson outside his destroyed home after a tornado that started in Arkansas tore through rural Kentucky. The tornado touched down Dec. 10 around 10 p.m. and left a path of destruction for over 200 miles in Kentucky.


Mark Humphrey / AP

People survey damage from a tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky, on Dec. 11.

Mark Humphrey / AP

People survey damage from a tornado in Mayfield on Dec. 11.



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