Death toll in Louisiana from Hurricane Ida rises to 26

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The death toll in the US state of Louisiana from Hurricane Ida rose to 26, the Louisiana Health Department said Wednesday.

The 11 additional fatalities occurred in New Orleans between Aug. 30 and Sept. 6 and were confirmed as storm-related by the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office, the department said in a statement.

Nine of the victims, who were elderly, died from "excessive heat during an extended power outage," and two others perished because of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The ages of the victims range between 24 and 79.

Ida made landfall in Louisiana on Aug. 29 as a devastating Category 4 hurricane, bringing with it mass flooding and damage that devastated wide swathes of the state. One million people were left without power.

US President Joe Biden visited Louisiana on Friday and surveyed the damage there and met with survivors.