MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Rescuers were forced to crawl over the dead to get to the living at a Kentucky candle factory walloped by a tornado, part of an unusual cluster that killed dozens in the Midwest and South and flattened whole towns.
By the time churchgoers gathered Sunday morning to pray for the lost, more than 24 hours had elapsed since anyone had been found alive. Instead, crews recovered pieces of peoples’ lives — a backpack, a pair of shoes and a cellphone with 27 missed messages were among the items. Still, a definitive death toll remained elusive, though it was expected to be lower than initially feared.
Kentucky was the worst-hit by far in a swarm of twisters across several states, remarkable because they came at a time of year when cold weather normally limits tornadoes. They left at least eight people dead at the state’s Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory and another 12 were reported killed in and around Bowling Green. At least another 14 people died in Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri.
Authorities are still trying to determine the total number of dead amid confusion over how many were able to escape the factory and the difficulties of searching other hard-hit areas. The twisters made door-to-door searches impossible in some places. “There are no doors,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
“We’re going to have over 1,000 homes that are gone, just gone,” he said.
Beshear said Saturday that only 40 of the 110 people working in the candle factory at the time were rescued, and that “it’ll be a miracle if anybody else is found alive in it.” But on Sunday, the company said that while eight were confirmed dead and eight remained missing, more than 90 others had been located.
“Many of the employees were gathered in the tornado shelter and after the storm was over they left the plant and went to their homes,” said Bob Ferguson, a spokesman for the company. “With the power out and no landline they were hard to reach initially. We’re hoping to find more of those eight unaccounted as we try their home residences.”
Night-shift workers were in the middle of the holiday rush, cranking out candles, when the word went out to seek shelter.
Members of the Bowling Green Fire Department dig through the remains of a house destroyed by a tornado in Bowling Green, Ky., Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Clubb)
In this aerial photo, destruction from a recent tornado is seen in downtown Mayfield, Ky., Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
An aerial view is seen of devastating tornado damage in Mayfield, Ky., Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
People help retrieve items from a destroyed home Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, in Mayfield, Ky. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across several states Friday, killing multiple people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Luke Schockley moves debris from a tornado inside his parent in-law’s house in Bowling Green, Ky., Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. A monstrous tornado killed dozens of people in Kentucky and the toll was climbing Saturday after severe weather ripped through at least five states, leaving widespread devastation. (AP Photo/Michael Clubb)
Andrew Ellison, left, and Melissa Collins look over the remains of a rental property they own Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, in Mayfield, Ky. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across several states Friday, killing multiple people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Early morning frost covers a chair sitting in a destroyed home Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, in Mayfield, Ky. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across several states Friday, killing multiple people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Emergency response workers dig through the rubble of the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory in Mayfield, Ky., Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
People survey damage from a tornado is seen in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Dog owner Derrick Starks, left, Chris Buchanan, center and Niki Thompson, right, both from neighboring counties, attempt to rescue Cheyenne from a tornado-damaged home in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing dozens of people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Father and son, Kenny Sanford, right, and Colby Sanford, carry out a dresser from Colby’s grandmother’s tornado-damaged home in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across several states late Friday, killing multiple people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
People survey damage from a tornado is seen in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
A woman searches for valuables amidst the remnants of a home on Saturday, Dec.11, 2021, on Highway F in Defiance, Mo. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday. (Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
A feed store damaged by a tornado is seen in Mayfield, Ky.,on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Workers use equipment to remove a section of roof left on a heavily damaged Amazon fulfillment center Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, in Edwardsville, Ill. The a large section of the roof of the building was ripped off and walls collapsed when a strong storms moved through area Friday night. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Automobiles line up near debris from tornado damage in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states Friday, killing multiple people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Damage from a tornado is seen in downtown Mayfield, Ky. on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
A large semi trailer is flipped over and pushed against a building in Bowling Green, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing at least six people overnight as a storm system tore through a candle factory in Kentucky, an Amazon facility in Illinois and a nursing home in Arkansas. (AP Photo/Dylan T. Lovan)
A heavily damaged Amazon fulfillment center is seen Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, in Edwardsville, Ill. A large section of the roof of the building was ripped off and walls collapsed when strong storms moved through area Friday night. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
A person walks through debris and damage from a tornado in Mayfield, Ky., on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states Friday, killing multiple people overnight. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
In this aerial photo, a collapsed factory is seen with workers searching for survivors, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, in Mayfield, Ky., after tornadoes came through the area the previous night. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Firefighters search a debris field that came from a house that was ripped off its foundation and trees were cut off after a tornado ripped along Highway F at the intersection of Stub Road in St. Charles County, Mo., on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. A monstrous tornado, carving a track that could rival the longest on record, ripped through the middle of the U.S. in a stormfront that killed dozens and tore apart a candle factory, crushed a nursing home, derailed a train and smashed an Amazon warehouse. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
Local firefighters, EMS and first responders check for survivors trapped in homes and vehicles in the neighborhood off Creekwood Avenue in Bowling Green, Ky., early Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states late Friday, killing several people overnight. (Grace Ramey/Daily News via AP)
Emergency vehicles stage outside an Amazon fulfillment center after it was heavily damaged when a strong thunderstorm moved through the area Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, in Edwardsville, Illinois. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
In this aerial photo, a collapsed factory and surrounding areas are seen in Mayfield, Ky., Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across multiple states Friday, killing several people overnight. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
An American flag is draped over debris after a tornado in Dawson Springs, Ky., Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. A monstrous tornado, carving a track that could rival the longest on record, ripped across the middle of the U.S. on Friday. (AP Photo/Michael Clubb)
Dena Ausdorn stands at the remains of her home after a tornado in Dawson Springs, Ky., Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. Ausdorn has lived there for 28 years and lost two of her dogs with another left paralyzed after the tornado. (AP Photo/Michael Clubb)
The remains of Dawson Springs Primitive Baptist Church after a tornado in Dawson Springs, Ky., Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. A monstrous tornado, carving a track that could rival the longest on record, ripped across the middle of the U.S. on Friday. (AP Photo/Michael Clubb)
A car sits among the remains of a destroyed house after a tornado in Dawson Springs, Ky., Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. A monstrous tornado, carving a track that could rival the longest on record, ripped across the middle of the U.S. on Friday. (AP Photo/Michael Clubb)
Arthur Byrn, left; Carole Dowdy, center; and Carla McDonald console each other after an outdoor service was held at First Christian Church Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, in Mayfield, Ky. The church building was heavily damaged when tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across several states Friday, killing multiple people. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
A dog sits in a cage next to a sleeping man inside a shelter in Wingo, Ky., on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, after residents were displaced by a tornado that caused severe damage in the area. (AP Photo/Robert Bumsted)
A man plays pool inside a shelter in Wingo, Ky., on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, after his home was damaged by a tornado that ripped through the area. (AP Photo/Robert Bumsted)
For Autumn Kirks, that meant tossing aside wax and fragrance buckets to make an improvised safe place. She glanced away from her boyfriend, Lannis Ward, who was about 10 feet away at the time.
Suddenly, she saw sky and lightning where a wall had been, and Ward had vanished.
“I remember taking my eyes off of him for a second, and then he was gone,” Kirks said.
Later in the day, she got the terrible news — that Ward had been killed in the storm.
“It was indescribable,” Pastor Joel Cauley said of the disaster scene. “It was almost like you were in a twilight zone. You could smell the aroma of candles, and you could hear the cries of people for help. Candle smells and all the sirens is not something I ever expected to experience at the same time.”
Four twisters hit Kentucky in all, including one with an extraordinarily long path of about 200 miles, authorities said. Beshear had said Sunday morning that the state’s toll could exceed 100. But after state officials heard the candle company’s update, he said that afternoon it might be as low as 50.
“We are praying that maybe original estimates of those we have lost were wrong. If so, it’s going to be pretty wonderful,” the governor said.
“We’re going to grieve together, we’re going to dig out and clean up together, and we will rebuild and move forward together. We’re going to get through this,” Beshear said.
With afternoon high temperatures forecast only in the 40s, tens of thousands of people were without power. About 300 National Guard members went house to house, checking on people and helping to remove debris. Cadaver dogs searched for victims.
The outbreak also killed at least six people in Illinois, where an Amazon distribution center in Edwardsville was hit; four in Tennessee; two in Arkansas, where a nursing home was destroyed and the governor said workers shielded residents with their own bodies; and two in Missouri.
Pope Francis expressed his sadness over the “devastating impact” of the tornadoes. In a telegram sent Monday by Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pope offered prayers for those who died, “comfort to those who mourn their loss and strength to all those affected by this immense tragedy.”
Debris from destroyed buildings and shredded trees covered the ground in Mayfield, a city of about 10,000 in western Kentucky. Twisted sheet metal, downed power lines and wrecked vehicles lined the streets. Windows were blown out and roofs torn off the buildings that were still standing.
In the shadows of their crumpled church sanctuaries, two congregations in Mayfield came together on Sunday to pray for those who were lost. Members of First Christian Church and First Presbyterian Church met in a parking lot surrounded by rubble, piles of broken bricks and metal.
“Our little town will never be the same, but we’re resilient,” Laura McClendon said. “We’ll get there, but it’s going to take a long time.”
Associated Press writers Kristin Hall and Claire Galofaro in Mayfield; Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Alabama; Seth Borenstein in Washington; and Travis Loller in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.