By: Alina Fang

As search and rescue crews continue to explore villages in the Appalachian foothills for survivors of devastating floods, the death toll in eastern Kentucky has increased to 25, including a number of children.

In order to identify the missing and get survivors to shelters before fresh rain storms hit later on Sunday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said on Saturday that rescue teams were rushing to take advantage of the drier conditions and receding floodwaters. However, he stated that the number of fatalities will almost surely increase and warned of hazardous circumstances, downed power lines, and mobile blackouts in many regions.

Four young siblings, aged one to eight, were among the dead in Knott County, which has 14,000 residents. According to a report in the Lexington Herald Leader, they and their parents had climbed onto the roof to escape the rising floodwaters. Once the roof collapsed, they hung on tree branches. The kids were carried away by an updraft of water.

After the record-breaking floods in St. Louis claimed one life on Tuesday, catastrophic rainfall began to fall in the area. Eastern Kentucky saw double-digit rainfall, causing streams to overflow their banks. The swiftly flowing floods wiped out highways, shut down bridges, and pushed homes off their foundations while tossing vehicles and trucks around like toys.

Many residents fled in boats or by clinging to roofs or tree branches, while others were rescued by air or ground. National Guard units from Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia, as well as state police and fish and wildlife officers, searched the area by land, air, and sea for victims. According to Beshear, first responders rescued at least 1,432 Kentuckians.