BALTIMORE, MD --
Two people were killed when part of an Amazon distribution warehouse collapsed amid severe weather, a spokeswoman for the retail giant said Saturday.
The men worked for an outside company and not Amazon, spokeswoman Rachael Lighty said. No one else was injured when severe storms with strong winds tore through Maryland Friday evening, she said.
"First responders remain onsite assessing the damage. The safety of our employees and contractors is our top priority and at this time the building remains closed," Lighty said in an email.
News reports cite Baltimore fire officials as saying one man was found under debris Friday night and later pronounced dead, while a second man's body was recovered under rubble early Saturday. Officials say a 50-foot wall at the warehouse collapsed. Photos from the scene appear to show the collapsed wall was about two stories tall.
Baltimore fire officials didn't respond to phone or email messages from The Associated Press.
The National Weather Service had earlier warned of thunderstorms in the area, with some producing gusty winds and heavy rain.
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Two men were killed when part of an Amazon distribution warehouse in Baltimore collapsed and weather officials have confirmed a tornado struck the area.
A 50-foot wall collapsed late Friday at the Amazon Fulfillment Center amid heavy rain and thunderstorms, Baltimore Fire Chief Roman Clark told WBAL. Clark said one man was found under the debris and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The second victim was later found beneath the rubble.
Andrew Lindsay, 54, was one of the victims. The Baltimore Sun reported that he was an employee of a real estate consulting firm.
Israel Espana Argote, 37, was also killed. Argote owned a trucking company that contracted with Amazon, the Sun reported.
The National Weather Service said Saturday an EF-1 tornado was to blame for the damage. The tornado also uprooted several large trees and tore the roof off of an apartment complex in Baltimore County.
Images taken from outside the Amazon facility showed a badly damaged truck, a knocked-over light pole and a large swath of the building exposed through a missing wall.
Amazon spokeswoman Rachael Lighty told the Associated Press that the two people killed weren't employees of the online retail giant but worked for an outside company.
"First responders remain onsite assessing the damage. The safety of our employees and contractors is our top priority and at this time the building remains closed," Lighty said in an email.
She said no one else was injured.