Kentucky safety agency to review tornado deaths at factory

By BRUCE SCHREINER and CLAIRE GALOFARO

MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s workplace information bureau volition look into the deaths of 8 radical who were killed astatine a candle mill during the convulsive upwind that spawned tornadoes successful 5 states, the politician said Tuesday.

Gov. Andy Beshear told reporters that the Kentucky Division of Occupational Safety and Health Compliance would undertake a monthslong reappraisal of the deaths, which happened astatine the Mayfield Consumer Products mill arsenic storms raked the country starting Friday night.

The politician said that specified reviews are done whenever workers are killed connected the job.

“So it shouldn’t suggest that determination was immoderate wrongdoing. But what it should springiness radical assurance in, is that we’ll get to the bottommost of what happened,” helium said.

State and section officials accidental the institution told them that each different workers person been accounted for. Initially, authorities feared a overmuch higher decease toll astatine the mill due to the fact that dozens of employees were moving precocious to marque candles for vacation orders. But Louisville Emergency Management Director E.J. Meiman said precocious Monday that authorities present “have a precocious level of assurance that cipher is near successful this building.”

Mayfield, location to 10,000 residents and the candle factory, suffered immoderate of the worst harm successful the country.

Beshear’s comments travel arsenic workers, volunteers and members of the National Guard fanned retired successful Kentucky to commencement the agelong betterment process. The tornado outbreak that killed astatine slightest 88 radical — 74 of them successful Kentucky — chopped a way of devastation that stretched from Arkansas, wherever a nursing location was destroyed, to Illinois, wherever an Amazon organisation halfway was heavy damaged.

Across Kentucky, astir 24,000 homes and businesses were inactive without energy Tuesday, down somewhat from the time before, according to poweroutage.us.

The tornadoes besides killed astatine slightest six radical successful Illinois; 4 successful Tennessee; 2 successful Arkansas, wherever the politician said nursing location workers shielded residents with their ain bodies; and 2 successful Missouri.

The national Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Monday that it had opened an probe into the illness of the Amazon warehouse successful Edwardsville, Illinois.

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Schreiner reported from Dawson Springs, Kentucky. Associated Press Writer Rebecca Reynolds successful Louisville, Kentucky, contributed to this report.