Three Kentuckians have died because of the severe winter weather system hitting the state, Gov. Andy Beshear’s office said.
Beshear confirmed two of the deaths in a Friday morning news conference, and a spokesperson for the governor told CNN a short time later that the death toll had risen to three.
One death was the result of a vehicle accident in western Kentucky, and another was of a “housing insecure” person in Louisville, Beshear told reporters. His office attributed the third death to a car crash in Mount Sterling, east of Lexington in Montgomery County.
Officials shut down Interstate 64 in both directions in Scott County due to multiple collisions around the 69-mile marker, Beshear announced.
The Kentucky National Guard and Kentucky State Police have also been working a major accident on Interstate 71 that has caused a major backup all morning, Beshear said.
There are currently 20,000 homes without power across Kentucky, Beshear tweeted Friday morning.