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The death toll from catastrophic flooding in eastern Kentucky has reached 15.
Gov. Andy Bescher told The Associated Press on Friday that the number is expected to more than double and will “include some children.”
Search and rescue teams supported by the National Guard have been searching tirelessly for missing people – in helicopters and boats – and Beshear noted that determining the number of people who remain unaccounted for is “difficult”.
More than 200 have sought shelter, and more than 23,000 Kentuckians are still without power.
KENTUCKY FLOODING KILLS 8, DEATH TOLL EXPECTED TO REACH DOUBLE DIGITS, GOVERNOR SAYS
According to the PowerOutage.US tracker, 23,185 customers were affected after the deadly floods and mudslides damaged hundreds of homes and vehicles.
In a tweet, Bescher warned that central and eastern Kentucky remain under a flood watch.
“Although total rain amounts are not expected to be as high, flooding still remains a problem due to saturated soils. Please be safe and alert, Kentucky,” he wrote.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Jackson tweeted that the area would see a “decent break” from Friday night into Saturday.
KENTUCKY FLOODING: AT LEAST 3 DEAD, HUNDREDS OF HOMES COULD BE DESTROYED, GOV. BESHER SAYS
“More rain and storms arrive Sunday through Tuesday, with heavy rainfall possible Sunday and Monday,” the statement said.
The area had already been hit by days of heavy rain, and parts of West Virginia and southern West Virginia were also affected by flooding.
More than 7,500 outages were also reported in Virginia on Friday.
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Gov. Jim Justice has declared a state of emergency for six West Virginia counties after severe thunderstorms this week caused significant local flooding.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Julia Musto is a reporter for Fox News Digital. You can find her on Twitter at @JuliaElenaMusto.
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