Washington, Oct 1 : At least 45 suspected deaths from Hurricane Ian have been reported in Florida, US media report.
Hurricane Ian made landfall in the US state of South Carolina on Friday, after causing major destruction in Florida on Wednesday and Thursday.
Director of Florida Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie said on Friday that the state had confirmed one death from Hurricane Ian and was investigating 20 unconfirmed deaths.
Meanwhile, CNN reported on Friday citing officials that at least 45 deaths suspected to be related to Ian had been reported in Florida, including 16 in Lee County, 12 in Charlotte County, eight in Collier County, four in Volusia County, one in Polk County, one in Lake County, one in Manatee County and two in unincorporated Sarasota County.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that the hurricane left 1.9 million people without power in the state. Over 200,000 power outages were reported in South Carolina on Friday, and another 138,000 in North Carolina, according to US media reports.
US President Joe Biden has declared an emergency in South Carolina and also said that Hurricane Ian may end up being the deadliest storm in Florida’s history.