当地时间10日夜间，美国中部6个州遭遇至少30场龙卷风袭击，截至11日晚间，至少造成84人死亡。这6个州分别是阿肯色州、密西西比州、伊利诺伊州、肯塔基州、田纳西州和密苏里州。随着救援工作展开，死亡人数还在上升。目前没有中国公民伤亡报告。

At least 84 people are likely to have died after dozens of tornadoes swept through several U.S. states overnight, officials said. The tornadoes tore through states including Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.


视频来源：央视网

11日早，肯塔基州州长安迪•贝希尔在发布会上表示，该州一家生产蜡烛的工厂遭彻底摧毁，当时这家工厂内有约110名工人。州长称这是该州历史上“最具毁灭性的”龙卷风灾难，自己“从未见过如此高的破坏程度”，龙卷风带来的破坏规模则“难以形容”。

Tornadoes hit and destroyed a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, when there were about 110 people inside, Governor Andy Beshear told reporters on Saturday. "This has been the most devastating tornado event in our state's history ... the level of devastation is unlike anything I've ever seen," Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear told reporters on Saturday at a late-morning news conference, calling the scale of damage "indescribable."



目前，肯塔基州已经进入紧急状态，国民警卫队也正在参与救援。州长则认为该州的遇难人数可能会超过百人，会有“明显增加”。

Beshear declared a state of emergency Friday, and every resource is being deployed, he said. The National Guard is being positioned to search for survivors in multiple counties. The governor said he believes that the death toll will be over 100, saying “I think it can rise significantly.”
 


位于肯塔基州Mayfield的蜡烛工厂，由于圣诞节的临近，正在加班加点的赶工。同时，该工厂也是当地雇用人数最多的企业之一。

The factory was one of the largest employers in Mayfield, and many of the employees were inside at the time the storm hit, working extra hours because of the holiday season.
 


而龙卷风过后，这里变为一片废墟。仍然有工人的家属，在这里寻找幸存者。
 


据目击者称，当时第一批响应救援的人从四面八方赶来，架起灯光开始搜救工作。被困或被埋的人员则大声呼救通报位置。另有不少救援人员爬进废墟中寻找幸存者。

First responders rushed to the site from the counties all around. They set up lights, and people trapped inside the debris began calling for help and telling rescuers their location. Many rescuers climbed inside to find survivors.

而在伊利诺伊州，电商巨头亚马逊的库房外墙受龙卷风影响向内坍塌，而这混凝土外墙足有11英寸厚（约27厘米），库房的屋顶也塌下来落在了建筑物中央，造成至少6人死亡。
 


据CNN报道，美国总统拜登于当地时间周六早对记者表示，他早间一直在非常密切的关注局势。

Earlier Saturday, U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters traveling with him in Wilmington, Delaware he'd been monitoring the situation "very closely since early this morning."

拜登说：“我想强调的是我告诉了诸位州长，联邦政府将作出一切努力给予帮助。”另外，当条件允许的时候，拜登称计划去这些受灾地区调查灾害影响。

“I want to emphasize what I told all the governors, the federal government will do everything, everything you can possibly do to help,” said Biden. Biden told reporters he does plan on traveling to the region to survey storm damage when circumstances allow.
 


12月13日，中国国家国际发展合作署新闻发言人徐伟向记者表示，我们注意到近日美国多个州遭遇严重龙卷风袭击造成重大人员伤亡和财产损失，对此表示深切慰问并愿根据美方需要向受灾民众提供紧急人道主义帮助。 

综合来源：新华网，CNN，路透社