Towns destroyed after night of devastating tornadoes in central US

A series of tornadoes ripped through six U.S. states on Friday night, leaving a trail of destruction seen in satellite imagery as roofs of buildings were ripped off and buildings collapsed.

Before-and-after satellite imagery showed a nursing home in Arkansas, a candle factory in Kentucky and an Amazon warehouse in Illinois wrecked, Reuters reported.

Images also showed the county courthouse in Mayfield, Kentucky hit, with neighborhoods leveled after the twister wreaked havoc on the town.

There were no immediate casualty estimates available for the candle factory or the surrounding community, one of the hardest-hit areas of a storm that carved a 320-kilometer-long path of destruction through several counties on Friday night. But Governor Andy Beshear estimated at least 100 people had perished in Kentucky as a whole.

About 110 people were believed to have been inside the candle-making plant when it was leveled by the twister, with 40 people rescued as of Saturday afternoon.

Six workers were confirmed dead at the Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, with no hope of more survivors, authorities said.