At least 16 people are dead following catastrophic flooding in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said Friday. That number is expected to double and includes children, he told CNN earlier, as rescuers scramble to reach areas difficult to access.
"It's going to get a lot higher," Beshear said at a news conference Friday morning.
"There's going to be multiple families that we've lost," Beshear told Brianna Keilar on CNN's "New Day" earlier. "Kids that won't get the opportunity to grow up and experience so much that we have."
"This is so deadly, and it hit so hard, and it hit in the middle of the night," the governor said, adding that although eastern Kentucky often floods, "we've never seen something like this."
Rescuers are working around the clock to reach areas where flooding washed away roads or left them under water after heavy rain Wednesday night into Thursday.