Huricane Katrina death toll rises past 400

Monday, September 12, 2005

The official death toll from Huricane Katrina has risen more than 400, as the grim job of searching for survivors and recovering bodies continues.

Louisiana officials raised the number of confirmed deaths to 197 from the August 29 storm. Most of the bodies recovered thus far from Louisiana are now at a morgue established in the city of St. Gabriel, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals said in a statement.

The official death toll so far in Mississippi is more than 211, while Huricane Katrina also killed 7 people in Florida.

FEMA has said that they expect the total death toll from Huricane Katrina to come in much lower than the 10,000 originally predicted by New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin last week.