US hurricane deaths rise to 44

At least 44 people died across five US states battered by powerful storm Helene, authorities said on Friday, after torrential flooding prompted emergency responders to launch massive rescue operations.

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Roads, homes and businesses were underwater - many of them destroyed after Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane near the Florida state capital Tallahassee overnight and surged north.

As darkness settled over the region Friday, more than 4.2 million customers were without power across 10 states, from Florida up to Ohio, according to tracker poweroutage.us.