Sixteen dead in catastrophic Kentucky flooding, Gov. Beshear expects death count to double

The number of people killed in connection with the massive flooding this week in Kentucky is now 16, GOP Gov. Andy Beshear said Friday. 

Heavy rains hit the state Wednesday night, and the number of fatalities is expected to double, the governor told CNN.

"It's going to get a lot higher," he said at a news conference Friday morning about the number of possible fatalities, considering so many residents are still missing.

The governor also said the storm was so deadly because “it hit in the middle of the night." 

Swollen floodwaters have also washed out bridges, knocked out power, swept away houses, CNN also reports.