Fourteen Killed in West Virginia Flooding

Strong storms have brought deadly flooding to parts of West Virginia.

The death toll from Thursday’s catastrophic flooding in West Virginia has risen to 14. A state of emergency has been declared in 44 of the state’s 55 counties.

Tragically, the body of a 4 year-old boy swept away in Jackson County, on the Ohio border, was found by search teams on Friday.

Elsewhere, 500 people are trapped at a shopping center in Elkview, after the bridge onto the complex was washed away. Teams are still attempting to rescue the stranded shoppers as of Friday evening.

Parts of the state recorded up to 10 inches of rain, as floodwater swept away vehicles and trailers from low-lying areas. The National Weather Service is calling the disaster a “once-in-a-thousand-year-event” for the worst affected areas.

60,000 people remain without power as of Friday afternoon.