Deadly tornado outbreak leaves at least 21 dead across Kentucky, Missouri
Deadly tornado outbreak leaves at least 21 dead across Kentucky, Missouri
So far, at least 14 people have died in Kentucky and seven more were killed in Missouri — five of them in the St. Louis area. And more severe weather, including tornadoes, is forecast in the coming days.
By Scott Sistek Source FOX Weather
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At least 7 dead in Missouri after storms blast the heartland
FOX Weather’s Katie Byrne is in St. Louis where a likely tornado struck and shattered a church. She has the latest from across the heartland.
LONDON, Ky. – A tornado outbreak swept across the Ohio Valley Friday night, leaving at least 21 dead and rescue crews frantically searching neighborhoods left in ruins for any other survivors.
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So far, at least 14 people have died in Kentucky, according to Gov. Andy Beshar, and seven more have been killed in Missouri — five of them in the St. Louis area.
Some of the hardest hit towns by large tornadoes Friday night in Kentucky were the Somerset area and London, where local officials reported at least 12 people died amid significant damage.
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office says the tornado touched down in London just before midnight and tore through two neighborhoods and the London Corbin Airport area, “causing mass casualties in its path.” Aside from the 12 dead, officials reported “numerous severe injuries occurred to others.”
Deadly tornado leaves trail of damage in London, Kentucky
A tornado that swept through London, Kentucky Friday night left multiple people dead and a wide swath of significant damage.
Video from London shows extensive damage with multiple homes destroyed and vehicles barely recognizable as debris littered the neighborhood and lightning still flashed in the background.
“(My daughter) got scared, so we went to the hallway,” a woman named Leslie, who survived the storm with her family, told emergency officials in the video. “And we were in there about two minutes and then my husband came running in and pretty much jumped on top of her because you could feel the air sucking in, and it sounded like a train. And then we saw stuff falling, and next thing you knew, most of the house was gone.”
MORE THAN A DOZEN DEAD IN KENTUCKY AS TORNADOES SWEEP ACROSS STATE FRIDAY NIGHT
Rescue crews were also combing through tornado damage in Somerset, where at least one person died.
Kentucky communities reeling after deadly storms slam the state
Somerset. Kentucky is one city hit by severe storms Friday night. Mayor Alan Keck joins FOX Weather to give an update on how things are going in the hours since the storm.
Somerset mayor Alan Keck declared a state of emergency in his city as “damage is extensive and loss of life occurred, the extent of which is not fully reported as of this (declaration).”
“It was a really scary night,” Keck told FOX Weather Saturday morning. “This really hit our business community, (the tornado) went right through our commercial corridor. It was a tough night.”
While at least one person died in the storms in his city, Keck said the tornado spared hundreds of homes.
Damage left after a tornado struck Somerset, Kentucky on May 16, 2025.
(Alan Keck, Somerset Mayor / FOX Weather)
“I want to start with some gratitude that it could have been so much worse,” he said. “If you look at the path through Somerset, candidly, it’s remarkable that it didn’t do more damage to residential homes… There were close to 200 apartments right behind (the tornado path) that didn’t get hit. It was almost as if the storm lifted up before it got to the next neighborhood… It really could have been monumentally worse.”
Beshar warned his state’s death toll was expected to rise as the state remains in an active rescue phase. Over 100,000 people in Kentucky remain without power and five counties are in a state of emergency. He plans to visit London to survey the damage later Saturday.
“Please pray for all of our affected families,” he said.
