Tornadoes kill 21 in Missouri, Kentucky; thousands left without power

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear confirmed Saturday that 14 people died in his state. He warned the toll could rise as rescue operations continue.

“This is another tough morning for Kentucky after a night of deadly weather,” Beshear wrote on X, adding that the state was in an active rescue phase with more than 100,000 people left without electricity.

He had declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm and said he planned to visit the city of London, Kentucky, to assess damage. Five counties have issued emergency declarations.

The National Weather Service described one tornado that struck shortly after midnight Friday as “extremely dangerous.”

In Missouri, storms killed seven people, including five in the St. Louis area and two in southeastern Scott County, according to NBC News.

More than 700,000 homes and businesses across 12 states lost power, with Missouri and Kentucky among the hardest-hit, CNN reported, citing data from PowerOutage.us.

Tornado sightings were also reported in Illinois and Indiana as the severe weather system swept across the region.