The death toll may exceed 100 after tornadoes tore through western Kentucky on Friday, according to Gov. Andy Beshear, who called it "the worst, most devastating, most deadly tornado event" in the state's history.
The latest: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott approved a request from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Saturday to deploy resources to help in the search and rescue efforts in western Kentucky, according to a statement from the governor's office.
- “The state of Texas stands ready to assist our friends in Kentucky as they continue their response and recovery efforts in the wake of deadly tornadoes that shook the western portion of their state overnight,” said Abbott, who activated 10 Texas A&M Task Force 1 personnel along with a supply of equipment.
Driving the news: "This is likely to be the most severe tornado outbreak in our state's history," Beshear said on Saturday.
- Radar imagery picked up tornado debris — pieces of homes and businesses —lofted to at least 30,000 feet by the extreme winds, and a weather station on the ground near Mayfield, Kentucky recorded a wind gust of 107 mph at the time the tornado struck.
- More than two dozen tornadoes reportedly touched down across six states, which, in addition to Kentucky, included: Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee.
State of play: Dozens are expected to have died in Mayfield after at least 110 people were in a candle manufacturing factory at the time the tornado hit, per WLKY....
- At least one person also died in Edwardsville, Illinois, after severe weather hit an Amazon facility there, AP reports.
- Beshear