Washington, Oct 2 : Over 70 deaths related to Hurricane Ian have been recorded in Florida and North Carolina, NBC News reports citing figures from state officials and its own count.

The death toll could rise beyond the 77 confirmed storm-related deaths, NBC specified on Saturday.
On Friday, US media reported that at least 45 suspected deaths from Hurricane Ian had been reported in Florida.
Hurricane Ian made landfall in the US state of South Carolina on Friday, after causing major destruction in Florida on Wednesday and Thursday. It was then downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone and moved into south-central Virginia on Saturday.

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.

At least 1,100 rescues have been made in Florida since Ian made landfall there on Wednesday, according to Governor Ron DeSantis. 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.