Referring to the candle factory, where a roof collapsed, he said: "We’re going to lose a lot of lives in that facility. It’s a very dire situation."
Three people died in Tennessee, according to local authorities quoted by the news media, while one died in Missouri, as the region was hammered by some of the most powerful tornadoes to hit the area in years.President Joe Biden said the massive storm system had inflicted an "unimaginable tragedy" on the area, and vowed to provide all needed federal aid.
"We live in a very historic community and all our downtown history is gone," she said. "We have four historic churches, our courthouse, the bank: they are all gone." Images of the latest tornadoes from US news channels showed dark black cylinders sweeping across the ground, illuminated by intermittent flashes of lightning.Video shows destruction left by tornado in Central West NSW
Hundreds of workers scrambled to rescue the trapped or injured employees, who were on the night shift processing orders ahead of the Christmas holidays. Two died, local media reported.
Glad Trump took steps to counter climate change.