The death toll from devastating tornadoes over the weekend continued to rise as of Monday, with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear initially suggesting that the number would certainly rise to over 100.

While rescue workers search around the clock to recover remains, in Kentucky the death toll looks to be lower than the initial projections. The lowest projection sits at 50 dead in Kentucky, but that number is likely to be higher than or close to 100 -- not as high as initially feared, according to NBC.

As of Monday, there were 35 people confirmed dead in Kentucky, the state hardest hit by the tornado outbreak. The high estimates were initially because of reports from a candle factory in Mayfield, Ky., the town hardest hit by the tornadoes.

The site of the MCP candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky that was destroyed by a tornado
The site of the MCP candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky that was destroyed by a tornado AFP / John Amis

Seventy people were feared missing from the factory, but as of Monday, eight are confirmed dead with eight more missing. Ninety others have been found alive.

In Illinois, six are confirmed dead after an Amazon warehouse was destroyed, according to the Edwardsville Police Department. Forty-five people made it out of the building with some saying that Amazon ordered them to remain in the building.

A storm ripped through a massive Amazon warehouse in the state of Illinois where around 100 workers were left trapped inside
A storm ripped through a massive Amazon warehouse in the state of Illinois where around 100 workers were left trapped inside GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA via AFP / Michael Thomas

In Tennessee, there are four confirmed deaths. In Missouri, there are two confirmed dead. In Arkansas, there are two confirmed dead. The death toll outside Kentucky could be as high as 25.

The crisis could exacerbate the COVID-19 pandemic which is expecting a holiday spike in cases as the number of people confirmed to have the Omicron variant rises.

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