After grimly fluctuating death tolls since Friday’s devastating swarm of tornadoes, governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky said on Monday that there were 64 confirmed deaths in the state, though he expected that number to rise as crews continued to search through the ruins.

“It may be a week or even more before we have a final count,” the governor said in a news conference, adding that as many as 105 people in Kentucky were still unaccounted for.

Beshear said that of the confirmed deaths, 18 victims were still unidentified. The ages of those who had died, he said, his voice breaking with emotion, ranged from five months to 86 years. Six of the victims were under 18.

A candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, was completely crushed in the storm. An estimated 110 people were at work at the factory on Friday night when the tornado hit. For days, it was unclear how many had made it out.

But on Sunday night, a glimmer of hope emerged, with executives at the company that operated the factory suggesting that the number of missing employees was much lower than initially thought.

Troy Propes, the chief executive of Mayfield Consumer Products, said in an interview that eight employees were dead and fewer than 10 were still missing.
“We are actively working to confirm that information,” the governor said on Monday, adding that Kentucky State Police investigators were working through a list of employees provided by the company to establish who was at the factory that night and who had made it out safely. “We pray that it is true.”

Even so, Beshear braced the public for more victims to be announced in the days ahead. At least eight counties in Kentucky had reported deaths, four of them with tolls in double digits. “There will be more,” Beshear said. At several moments during Monday’s briefing, the governor appeared on the verge of tears.

“I’m not doing so well today,” he said. “I was working on getting the confirmed deaths this morning and realised I was writing on the back of notes that one of my kids took from school.” The topic of the schoolwork was inertia. We’re going to keep putting one foot in front of the other.”

Though praising federal officials for what they described as a quick and thorough response, officials emphasised the difficult recovery ahead. Michael Dossett, director of the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, said: “This will go on for years.”