The Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, was among the hardest-hit locations. At least eight people were killed when the factory’s roof collapsed, sparking a long search and rescue effort over the weekend.
A survivor, Mark Saxton, said he looked outside Friday night after a third tornado warning unsettled him. It was then, he said, that he saw a tornado headed in his direction and he began to back up to a tornado-safe hallway.
But it was too late, he said.
“Tiles and concrete started falling,” he said. Walls imploded. “Everyone started running, so I just dropped to the ground. I got in a fetal position, and the concrete slab fell on top of me.”
At least four factory workers said supervisors warned employees that they would be fired if they left their shifts early to seek shelter.
Mayfield, Kentucky
Outside the candle factory, the community didn’t fair much better. Mayfield Mayor Kathy Stewart O’Nan told NBC’s “Nightly News” over the weekend that the town “is gone.”
“We knew it was bad, but not till the sun started coming up did we look at it and saw matchsticks,” she said. “Our hearts are broken.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
