Florida reports 58 deaths from Ian as search for survivors continues

Miami, Oct 3 (EFE).- Authorities in the US state of Florida on Monday raised the death toll from Hurricane Ian to 58, as emergency teams continued their search and rescue operations.

Most of the fatalities have been due to drowning or cardiac arrest, and the number is expected to rise in the coming hours and days, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Kevin Guthrie, told a press conference.

Since last week, more than 1,600 people have been rescued across the state, especially in the southwest where Ian made landfall, and in central Florida, where many homes were flooded.

Five days after Ian made landfall in Cayo Costa with winds of 240 km/h, some 600,000 people remain without power, although Guthrie estimated that electricity supplies will be almost fully restored, except for houses and buildings that have suffered “catastrophic damage”, by Sunday.

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are scheduled to visit Florida on Wednesday, after their visit to Puerto Rico, which is still reeling from the damage caused by Hurricane Fiona. EFE

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