Tornadoes kill at least 74 in Kentucky, with over 100 people missing
- Victims ranged in age from five months to 86 years old, says Governor Andy Beshear, adding that the death toll is likely to continue rising
- US President Joe Biden will travel to the state on Wednesday and visit some of the areas hardest hit
The death toll from a string of tornadoes that tore through six states rose to 74 with at least 109 people still missing, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said on Monday. He said the number of fatalities was likely to rise in the coming days.
Thousands are still out of power and volunteers are flocking to hard-hit areas to help survivors who lost everything in the storms.
While the toll from the deadly twisters was lower than initially feared, Beshear said he expects it to increase as searchers sift through a flattened landscape of twisted metal, downed trees and homes reduced to rubble.
“It may be weeks before we have counts on both deaths and levels of destruction,” Beshear told reporters, adding that the victims ranged in age from five months to 86 years old.
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‘Hell on Earth’: Shock and survival after deadly tornadoes tear through six US states
A nursing home was struck in Arkansas, causing one of that state’s two deaths. Six died in Illinois, four in Tennessee and two in Missouri.