Photo: Michael B. Thomas/Getty
The six individuals who were killed in theIllinois Amazon warehouse tornado collapseover the weekend have now been identified.
On Sunday, theEdwardsville Police Departmentreleased astatementidentifying the six victims as Deandre S. Morrow, 28, of St. Louis, Missouri; Kevin D. Dickey, 62, of Carlyle, Illinois; Clayton Lynn Cope, 29, of Alton, Illinois; Etheria S. Hebb, 34, of St. Louis; Larry E. Virden, 46, of Collinsville, Illinois; and Austin J. McEwen, 26, of Edwardsville, Illinois.
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“All six victims known to us at this time and included herein have been positively identified,” the statement noted. “The Coroner’s Office has spoken with a representative from each family to relay their findings regarding identification and preliminary cause of death for each victim.”
Police also said that “five of the six victims have been released to funeral homes with the sixth victim scheduled to be released to a funeral home” at a later time.
Michael Thomas/Getty
On Friday evening, a tornado caused a large part of the Amazon warehouse building in Illinois to collapse. James Whiteford, the fire chief in Edwardsville, said in a news conference the following day that 45 individuals were confirmed to have made it out of the building.
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CNBCpreviously reported that the building’s roof ripped off and a wall equivalent to the size of a football field collapsed.
“The safety and well-being of our employees and partners is our top priority right now,” Amazon spokesperson Richard Rocha said in a statement Friday, per theAssociated Press.“We’re assessing the situation and will share additional information when it’s available.”
In a statement shared on Twitter, which came hours after he spent the day celebrating hislatest Blue Origin space launch, Bezoswrote, “The news from Edwardsville is tragic.”
Jeff Bezos.SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty
Added Bezos: “We extend our fullest gratitude to all the incredible first responders who have worked so tirelessly at the site.”
source: people.com
