LONDON, Ky. (AP) — Storm systems sweeping across parts of the U.S. Midwest and South have left at least 23 people dead, many of them in Kentucky, where what appeared to be a devastating tornado pulverized homes and flipped over a car on an interstate.

In Kentucky, some 14 people were killed by severe weather, and the death toll is likely to rise, according to Gov. Andy Beshear. Local authorities in Laurel County, in the state’s southeast, said nine people were killed after a tornado touched down. Authorities announced Saturday afternoon that a firefighter with the Laurel County Fire Department had died after being injured while responding to the deadly weather. The fire department did not immediately say how Major Roger Leslie Leatherman, a 39-year veteran, was injured or when he died.