Jeff Bezos says 'heartbroken' over tornado deaths at Amazon warehouse

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Saturday expressed grief over the death of six people at an Amazon warehouse collapse in Edwardsville, Illinois, due to an ongoing wave of tornadoes in the US.

"The news from Edwardsville is tragic. We're heartbroken over the loss of our teammates there, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones," Bezos tweeted.

"All of Edwardsville should know that the Amazon team is committed to supporting them and will be by their side through this crisis. We extend our fullest gratitude to all the incredible first responders who have worked so tirelessly at the site," he added.

Earlier on Saturday, Illinois Governor Jay Robert Pritzker confirmed the death of Amazon workers during a press briefing.

"It brings me great sorrow to confirm that at this time six individuals have lost their lives in the collapse, with an additional person receiving medical treatment. Search and recovery operations are ongoing," Pritzker said on Saturday.

According to the fire department, the walls on both sides of the Amazon warehouse "collapsed inward" and the roof of the building collapsed downward due to which most of the weight of the building landed centrally into the building.

At least 45 people have since been rescued so far.

On Saturday, US President Joe Biden had said that the string of deadly tornadoes that swept through several states this week was "likely one of the largest tornado outbreaks" in US history.