Irma wreaks havoc in Florida, death toll climbs to 12

After leaving at least 25 people dead in the Caribbean islands, Hurricane Irma battered Florida knocking out power across the southern tip of the state.

Miami, Sep 13: Hurricane Irma, which wreaked havoc across the Caribbean islands and Florida, has resulted in deaths of 12 people.

Irma cut a deadly path of destruction through the idyllic Key islands and deep inland in the southeastern US state, said an official.

"Currently, the number of confirmed deaths attributable to Hurricane Irma stands at 12," Florida Division of Emergency Management spokesman Alberto Moscoso told AFP yesterday, as workers picked through the rubble left by the storm.

After leaving at least 25 people dead in the Caribbean islands, Hurricane Irma battered Florida knocking out power across the southern tip of the state.

Winds and rains due to Hurricane Irma knocked out power for 6.5 million people in the state. That's more than a quarter of the state's population without electricity.

Irma first made landfall as a Category Five storm in Camaguey Archipelago on Cuba's north-central Atlantic coast late on Friday. Then it rampaged through Florida before being downgraded to category 1 storm on Tuesday.

PTI