6 Dead After Amazon Warehouse Collapses After Tornado

At least six people have died in connection to a collapse at an Amazon distribution center caused by a tornado in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Officials confirmed the death toll rose to six on Saturday (December 11), hours after the accident Friday (December 10) night, NBC News reports.

The National Weather Service confirmed an EF3 touched down in the area of the facility, which led to the collapse of the building, Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said during a news conference Saturday night.

Whiteford said a total of six people died, one person was airlifted and 45 individuals were rescued safely in connection to the Amazon warehouse collapse.

Local authorities identified the six victims killed in the accident, who are listed below per NBC News:

• Austin J. McEwen, 26, of Edwardsville, Illinois
• Deandre S. Morrow, 28, of St. Louis, Missouri
• Clayton Lynn Cope, 29, of Alton, Illinois
• Etheria S. Hebb, 34, of St. Louis, Missouri
• Larry E. Virden, 46, of Collinsville, Illinois
• Kevin D. Dickey, 62, of Carlyle, Illinois

Whiteford said the search has escalated into a recovery mission and responders planned to work overnight during the next few days to rescue any individuals that may still be trapped inside the facility.

Officials said they weren't aware of how many people could still be inside the building as Amazon was in the middle of a shift change when the tornado took place and, therefore, didn't have a count of how many employees were inside the building.