- Trump fills out cabinet as divisive picks shock Washington
- Son hits 50th South Korea goal in win, Australia-Saudi stalemate
- BHP, Vale cleared by Brazil court over 2015 dam disaster
- Satirical US outlet The Onion buys conspiracy site Infowars
- Scotland must emulate Croatia's 'conveyor belt of talent': Clarke
- Legal migration to OECD reaches new record in 2023
- Robinson edges Benazzi to succeed Beaumont as head of World Rugby
- India's capital shuts all primary schools due to smog
- Central bank independence 'fundamental' for good policy: Fed official
- Fritz beats De Minaur to eye ATP Finals last four, Sinner through
- Doris expecting a 'proper test' against Argentina
- Russia's exiled opposition hopes for rebirth with Berlin rally
- EU fines Meta $840 million for 'abusive' Facebook ad practices
- Springboks boss Erasmus expects England to 'play for Borthwick'
- Before Leicester, Ranieri's brush with glory with his beloved Roma
- Stock markets rise as traders weigh future Fed cuts
- Australian Robinson edges Benazzi to head World Rugby
- US director Haynes to lead Berlinale 2025 jury
- Iran tells UN nuclear chief willing to resolve 'ambiguities'
- Coach owner Tapestry calls off Capri bid on regulatory blocks
- UK government announces ban on new coal mines
- US ski star Lindsey Vonn, 40, to attempt competitive return
- Ranieri comes out of retirement to lead hometown club Roma
- England recall Steward and Van Poortvliet for South Africa Test
- EU fines Meta 798 mn euros for Facebook ad antitrust breach
- Australian Brett Robinson graduates to rugby's top post
- Brazil looking for motive after attempted Supreme Court bombing
- Hotels on Booking.com can offer better rates elsewhere: EU
- EU deforestation ban in chaos as parliament loosens rules
- Springboks make 12 changes to team for England clash
- All Blacks fly-half Barrett returns from concussion against France
- UEFA launches investigation into Premier League referee Coote
- Monaco Formula One GP extended until 2031
- Climate finance: who is being asked to pay what at COP29?
- 'Terrible' AI has given tech an existential headache: activist
- COP29 host tries to calm waters after diplomatic turmoil
- Late drama as Saudis hold Australia in World Cup qualifier
- Stock markets diverge as traders weigh future Fed cuts
- Israel warfare methods 'consistent with genocide': UN committee
- 'In-form leader' Fickou starts for France against New Zealand
- Iran activist kills himself after demanding release of prisoners
- Russia shuts Moscow's famed gulag museum
- London mayor says Trump attacks due to his ethnicity and religion
- Japan expect tough Indonesia test with World Cup spot in reach
- Uganda TikToker convicted for insulting president
- Thousands flee as Typhoon Usagi hits north Philippines
- Burberry launches turnaround plan as posts loss
- Fickou starts for France against New Zealand
- Spain flood epicentre survives fresh rain alert
- Man with explosives dies in blast at Brazil's Supreme Court
SCS | -0.26% | 13.335 | $ | |
BCC | -1.14% | 140.94 | $ | |
JRI | 0.04% | 13.245 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.06% | 24.625 | $ | |
BCE | 0.52% | 27.351 | $ | |
RIO | -0.27% | 60.455 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.1% | 24.755 | $ | |
GSK | 0.48% | 35.28 | $ | |
BTI | 0.58% | 35.625 | $ | |
RYCEF | -2.16% | 6.96 | $ | |
NGG | 0.8% | 62.62 | $ | |
AZN | 0.91% | 65.89 | $ | |
RBGPF | -1.59% | 59.25 | $ | |
VOD | 0.4% | 8.785 | $ | |
RELX | 0.51% | 46.355 | $ | |
BP | 1.17% | 28.909 | $ |
16 dead in 'devastating' Kentucky flooding, toll expected to rise
The death toll from severe flooding in Kentucky hit 16 on Friday and is expected to double, the US state's governor said, after torrential rains caused flash floods that swept away some homes while people slept.
"Tough news is 16 confirmed fatalities now, and folks that's going to get a lot higher," Governor Andy Beshear said at a media briefing.
"It is devastating," Beshear told CNN earlier in the day, saying he expected the toll to "more than double."
"Some people's houses were completely swept away in the middle of the night while they were sleeping," the governor said.
Hundreds of people had been rescued by boat and there had been about 50 aerial rescues using National Guard helicopters, he said.
With many roads washed out "we still can't get to a lot of people," the governor said.
"The current is so strong it's not safe for some of those water rescues that we need to do."
Eastern Kentucky has had flash flooding previously "but we've never seen something like this," Beshear said.
"Folks who deal with this for a living, who have been doing it for 20 years, have never seen water this high."
Some areas of the state's Appalachia region reported receiving more than eight inches (20 centimeters) of rain in a 24-hour period.
The water level of the North Fork of the Kentucky River at Whitesburg rose to a staggering 20 feet within hours, well above its previous record of 14.7 feet.
- Disaster declaration -
Many roads resembled rivers, mangled cars littered the landscape and muddy brown floodwaters lapped against the rooftops of low-lying houses.
Kayla Brown, 29, and Joe Salley Jr., 56, residents of Perry County, told the Lexington Herald-Leader that the fast-rising flood waters trapped them in their mobile home.
"It was like a wave coming at you out of the ocean," Salley said.
Neighbors came to their rescue after their trailer was knocked off its foundations.
Four young children ranging in age from one and a half to eight years old were swept away from their parents in hard-hit Knott County, the Herald-Leader reported.
Brittany Trejo, the siblings' cousin, told the newspaper the bodies of two of the children had been found, but the other two were still missing.
Their parents were rescued after clinging to a tree for eight hours, Trejo told the Herald-Leader.
"They managed to get to a tree and... held the children a few hours before a big tide came and washed them all away," Trejo said.
The eastern Kentucky flooding is the latest in a series of extreme weather events that scientists say are an unmistakable sign of climate change.
Nearly 60 people were killed in western Kentucky by a tornado in December 2021.
The National Weather Service warned that more heavy rain was expected on Friday.
President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration for Kentucky, allowing federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts.
Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, arrived in Kentucky on Friday to tour flood-hit areas and report back to the president.
A.Gasser--BTB