Severe weather leaves at least 27 dead, including 18 in Kentucky

Deadly storms in U.S. Midwest and South leave 27 dead, homes destroyed, and Kentucky in critical condition.

At least 27 people have been killed by storms systems that swept across part of the U.S. Midwest and South, with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announcing Saturday (May 17, 2025) that 18 of the deaths came in his State and 10 others were hospitalized in critical condition.

A devastating tornado in Kentucky damaged homes, tossed vehicles and left many people homeless. Seventeen of the deaths were in Laurel County, located in the State's southeast, and one was in Pulaski County: Fire Department Maj. Roger Leslie Leatherman, a 39-year veteran who was fatally injured while responding to the deadly weather.

Parts of two dozen State roads were closed, and some could take days to reopen, Mr. Beshear said. He also said the death toll could still rise.

“We need the whole world right now to be really good neighbors to this region,” the Governor said.

State Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson said hundreds of homes were damaged,

Kayla Patterson, her husband and their five children huddled in a tub in their basement in London, the county seat, as the tornado raged around them.

“You could literally hear just things ripping in the distance, glass shattering everywhere, just roaring like a freight train," she recalled Saturday. “It was terrible.”