At least 25 people have died in the devastating rainfall that deluged eastern Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said Saturday, APA reports citing Associated Press.
That death toll will likely continue to rise as search efforts continue in upcoming weeks, he added.
In an update Friday, the governor said six children are among the dead in the flooding. The number of children who died rose to six after the bodies of four young siblings, swept away from their parents’ grip by the floodwaters, had been located, Beshear said.
“It’s hard, it’s even harder for those families and those communities,” he said. “Keep praying, there’s still a lot of people out there, still a lot of people unaccounted for. We’re going to do our best to find them all.”
Four additional deaths were reported Friday night in eastern Kentucky’s Breathitt County, including three due to flooding. One person could not be reached by EMS and a lack of medical attention contributed to their death, according to county Coroner Hargis Epperson.
Also Friday, President Joe Biden issued a major disaster declaration in the state and ordered federal aid to be sent to “areas affected by severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides,” according to a news release from the White House.
It was not clear how many people were still unaccounted for Friday evening. In Breathitt County, 12 people remained unaccounted for, Epperson said Friday night.
Beshear said the state made around 50 air rescues and hundreds of boat rescues Thursday. So far, 294 people have been rescued and 337 are in shelters, he added.
“This situation is ongoing,” he said. “We are still in the search and rescue mode and at least in some areas, the water is not going to crest until tomorrow.”
Rescue teams, assisted by the National Guard, were searching Friday for more missing people, according to The Associated Press.
On Thursday, the state ordered the evacuation of the Panbowl Lake area in Breathitt County, where officials are worried the dam will breach.
“We have already gone door to door and around to try to evacuate as many people who are willing to go,” Beshear said. “If you’re still there, why don’t you go find a friend, a relative, somebody to stay with, go to a hotel — just get somewhere safe. We don’t want to lose any more people than we have to.”
Source: Azeri-Press News Agency