The barrage of tornadoes that tore through Kentucky and surrounding states killed a dozen children, including a 2-month-old infant, governor Andy Beshear said on Tuesday.

A total of 74 people died in Kentucky, with the oldest victim at 98 years old. Eight people have yet to be identified.

Beshear said the storms produced “the strongest set of tornadoes that we have ever seen Kentucky and what we believe will probably be one of the most devastating tornado events in US history”.

The fatalities included eight at a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, that was reduced to rubble. Deaths at the candle factory were initially feared to be much higher, but a company spokesman said on Monday that the remaining 102 workers on duty at the time are alive and have been accounted for.

“If you saw it in person, you would believe that’s a miracle,” Beshear said of the fact that only eight were killed at candle factory.

Those fortunate enough to survive unscathed opened their doors to victims whose homes were destroyed, and hundreds of the suddenly homeless took refuge in shelters.

The death toll was likely to rise as 109 people remained missing, Beshear said.