Jeff Bezos 'Heartbroken' After Tornado Kills at Least Six Amazon Employees in Illinois

Edwardsville, Illinois' Fire Department has confirmed that at least six people died after an EF-3 tornado inflicted major structural damage to an Amazon fulfillment warehouse, resulting in its partial collapse. A total of 45 individuals were able to flee the building safely.

Jeff Bezos, founder and chairman of Amazon, took to social media on Saturday night to offer his condolences to the families and friends of those killed in the Friday night tragedy.

"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", he tweeted, nearly 24 hours after the incident.

Without announcing any specifics, Bezos expressed that Amazon intends to continue supporting the town of Edwardsville, Illinois, which has been home to two Amazon fulfillment centres since 2016.

"We extend our fullest gratitude to all the incredible first responders who have worked so tirelessly at the site", the Amazon founder added.

Bezos' post notably came after netizens called him out for gleefully celebrating his Blue Origin space journey with National Football League (NFL) Hall of Famer Michael Strahan.

Instead of celebrating the absurd space hobby of Jeff Bezos (now worth $198 billion) maybe, just maybe, the corporate media might want to ask Mr. Bezos why Amazon forced its employees back to work during tornado warnings that left at least two dead. https://t.co/F4cPXLrUWg

— Warren Gunnels (@GunnelsWarren) December 11, 2021

"I'm not a Jeff Bezos hater", tweeted political commentator Ana Navarro. "But how the hell does he have time to be at space launch today, but not to call the Gov of Illinois?"

Jeff Bezos playing with his rocket as they look for survivors in an Amazon warehouse that collapsed during a storm near Edwardsville shows zero lack of concern for anyone but himself.

— I am who I am. (@livelife1964) December 11, 2021

Jeff Bezos' top priority Saturday while first responders continued to dig thru the rubble for survivors (2 confirmed fatalities) in his Amazon Warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois that was leveled by a tornado Friday night. pic.twitter.com/x8hYKfbgV0

— DrawOutsideTheLines (@lines_draw) December 11, 2021

During a Friday evening news conference, Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford confirmed that 45 individuals were able to make it out of the warehouse prior to the collapse. One worker was critically injured and airlifted to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

"The warehouse doesn't have a specific count of how many employees were in the building at the time that the storm hit, so we're unable to determine how many may be missing still", Whiteford told reporters.

He noted that the warehouse's headcount varied throughout the day, as there was a shift change at the time of the tornado.

Authorities do not believe that anyone is alive in the remaining rubble.

"Everyone assumes that they'll be safe at work", said Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker, who was also in attendance at the news conference. "Families say goodbye in a routine fashion when their loved ones go off to their jobs. We don't think that they'll never come home. It's devastating".

The site of a roof collapse at an Amazon.com distribution centre a day after a series of tornadoes dealt a blow to several U.S. states, in Edwardsville, Illinois, U.S. December 11, 2021

© REUTERS / Drone Base

Madison County, which includes Edwardsville, intends to request a disaster declaration from both the state and federal governments.