- A climatic incident has been the cause of the collapse of an Amazon warehouse in the United States. Authorities are still working on the rubble.
- The Collinsville Emergency Management Agency hinted that it is a “mass casualty incident.”
Last night, the collapse of an Amazon warehouse was reported on social media, where many employees were trapped and others have lost their lives.
This is what we know:
It happened in Edwardsville, Illinois, where the roof of a warehouse of the e-commerce giant collapsed because of the weather conditions that have been asserted in recent days.
So far, it is said that approximately 30 people were taken to the police station in the vicinity of Pontoon Beach for evaluation, although it is not known exactly how many people were inside the warehouse.
In the early hours of this Saturday, rescue teams were still searching the rubble.
“The safety and well-being of our employees and partners is our top priority at this time. We are assessing the situation and will share additional information when it becomes available, ”explained Richard Rocha, an Amazon spokesperson, in a statement issued last night.
Although the scope of what happened is still unknown, the Collinsville Emergency Management Agency hinted that it was an “incident with mass victims.”
According to information from KSDK, an NBC affiliate, Mike Fillback, police chief, stated that it is a “total disaster”, but asked for patience to know the exact number of those affected, despite the fact that a figure of between 50 and 100 people.
As explained, the search will continue for several days, in a context in which the weather has been the cause of said collapse and it seems that such conditions will continue.
What remains, for now, is to wait to find out what were the real scope of this tragedy in which, unfortunately, several people are still missing and others are reported as deceased.
Still a massive emergency response here but no news other than hearing that some employees were taken to Madison County buses. Some workers are watching from Interstate 255 in Edwardsville. https://t.co/C3NqvxbxRN pic.twitter.com/s7A8vDHilE
– Robert Cohen (@kodacohen) December 11, 2021
More scenes from the @Amazon distribution center partial collapse after storms or a tornado passed over Edwardsville, Illinois Friday night. https://t.co/C3NqvxbxRN pic.twitter.com/9BKt7b9fLK
– Robert Cohen (@kodacohen) December 11, 2021
Amazon distribution warehouse in Edwardsville, Ill. is partially collapsed after Friday tornado. pic.twitter.com/QUBKSYUIMP
– Robert Cohen (@kodacohen) December 11, 2021
Weather conditions also affect IKEA
Recently, climatic conditions also affected an IKEA establishment in Denmark, where, in some regions, snow storms have become a serious problem for the population.
Contrary to what happened in the United States, that event ended with a better ending both for the store and for those who were trapped inside.
What happened even helped consumers and employees to have a sleepover that, in the end, became a great publicity for the brand.
Peter Elmose, store manager, mentioned the site Insider that group of people spent the night watching television, playing cards, eating in the cafeteria, among other activities, among which watching a soccer game all together and Christmas movies.
“I have been working at IKEA and have never experienced this before. We had some hot cinnamon buns, hot chocolate, and coffee. There was even some beer, “Elmose said.
The next day, around seven in the morning, those who remained locked in the IKEA store were able to enjoy a collective breakfast, talking and sharing their experience.
One of the consumers who were trapped, revealed to TV2, during an interview, that what happened in said confinement was a great experience and that he would not even rule out living it again.
“Everyone found a nice and comfortable bed and got to try and test our range,” said Peter Elmose, who also called the impromptu sleepover that came with that snowstorm a “great experience”.
Now read: