At least nine people have died in the incident, including three crew members, with officials expecting the fatality count to increase as recovery efforts continue.
Beshear said the emergency declaration will allow the state to dispatch resources more quickly, adding, “remember, the first thing that we pay for out of these funds are funerals, so that in a time of grief … we support one another.”
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg warned recovery efforts may “take a while” as the site spans a “very large area.”
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash, with Boeing offering technical assistance.