Shock images as deaths mount in wild floods, mudslides across US

Flash flooding killed at least 16 people as torrential rain wreaked havoc across the US, with mudslides and quicksand in Kentucky and rushing waters swamping casinos in Las Vegas.

North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky. Thee death toll rose to at least 16 people with at least double expected. Picture: AFP

Rescue teams are searching for missing people as record flooding wiped out entire towns in the US state of Kentucky, with the death toll expected to rise.

In Nevada, meanwhile, severe thunderstorms flooded the famous Las Vegas strip with video footage showing the city’s famous casinos turned into canals of rushing water and debris.

Flash flooding caused by torrential rains has killed at least 15 people in eastern Kentucky and the death toll is expected to double, the US state’s governor said Friday.

“It is devastating,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, told CNN, adding the death toll of 16 was expected to more than double.

“And it’s going to include some children,” he added.

He said hundreds of people had been rescued by boat and there had been about 50 aerial rescues using helicopters deployed by the National Guard.

“Eastern Kentucky floods a lot but we’ve never seen something like this,” Beshear said.

“Folks who deal with this for a living who have been doing it for 20 years have never seen water this high.”

Some areas received more than 20 centimetres) of rain in 24 hours, raising water levels of the North Fork of the Kentucky River at Whitesburg to a staggering six metres, well above its previous record of 4.5 metres.

Floodwaters swallowed towns along the waterways of the Appalachian valleys, marooning people who couldn’t reach high ground and leaving at least 33,000 customers without power.

North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky. Thee death toll rose to at least 16 people with at least double expected. Picture: AFP

Hundreds had to be evacuated and rescued from downtown Jackson, Kentucky. Picture: AFP

Torrential rain left some residents stranded on rooftops and in trees. Picture: AFP

A rescue team helps a family out of a boat stuck in Quicksand, Kentucky. Picture: AFP

Cars were left behind as 12 inches of rain pommeled parts of Eastern Kentucky. Picture: AFP

Single-storey homes were almost completely submerged, with only the second floor of double-storey homes visible above the waterline. Picture: AFP

Lexington Firefighters Jeremey Miller and Captain Scott Butler on a rescue mission in Troublesome Creek to save people that have been stranded for days. Picture: AFP

A family anxiously waits to hear about missing family members as a result of the flooding in Jackson. Picture: AFP

In Nevada, flash flooding turned Las Vegas strip into canals of waves and debris as waters rushed into famous casinos. Picture: KLAS-TV / Dan Miller

Waters rushed into underground carparks, washing away anything not tied down. Picture: Twitter / @CoachKenCamp

The Las Vegas strip was turned into a rushing river. Picture: @Mymagicalthinks, Twitter