Kentucky tornado death toll rises to at least 80: Governor

Debris is wrapped around damaged trees as emergency workers search through what is left of the Mayfield Consumer Products Candle Factory after it was destroyed by a tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky, on 11 December 2021.AFP

The death toll from powerful tornadoes that lashed the United States has risen to more than 80 in Kentucky alone, the state's governor said Sunday, adding he expects the statewide fatalities from the disaster to surpass 100.

"I can tell you from reports that I've received, I know we've lost more than 80 Kentuckians," governor Andy Beshear told CNN. "That number is going to exceed more than 100."

The new figure brings to 93 the confirmed death toll from the storms that ravaged six US states overnight Friday into Saturday, with dozens still missing and several towns devastated.