Hurricane Milton live updates: 'Don't go sightseeing', US officials say as they warn of preventable deaths

Summary

At least 16 people have died after Hurricane Milton passed through Florida, though the total number of deaths could rise as rescue workers make their way through floodwaters and debris
More than two million homes and businesses are without power and thousands of people have been rescued from flooded areas
An emergency management official in Florida tells residents to keep clear of teams operating in the area, saying "we don't need you out there sightseeing"
US President Joe Biden will travel to Florida on Sunday to visit areas impacted by Hurricane Milton, the White House says
Some Florida residents forced to abandon their homes have returned to find them destroyed or badly flooded
BBC Verify has analysed false images and video circulating on social media, claiming to show Hurricane Milton

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Watch: Drone footage shows devastation in Florida

Live Reporting

Edited by Jude Sheerin and Alys Davies, with Holly Honderich and Eloise Alanna in south-western Florida

Emergency services say it's too dangerous to answer callspublished at 06:47 British Summer Time 10 October
Tom Bateman
Reporting from central Florida
Here in central Florida the winds continue to howl and groan, with a flash flood warning issued as Hurricane Milton rips through the state.
As it barrelled into the Gulf Coast, 120 mile per hour winds brought a seawater storm surge to communities where residents had earlier been told to evacuate to save their lives.
Two million homes and businesses are now without power. By nightfall many neighbourhoods were desolate, as emergency services warned that it was too dangerous to answer calls.
The incoming hurricane also spawned many tornadoes throughout the day, including a huge twister which crossed a stretch of interstate highway known as Alligator Alley.
On the Atlantic coast police say there have been a number of deaths at a leisure resort after several tornadoes touched down in the space of 20 minutes.
The St Lucie County sheriff described cars flipped over and moved hundreds of yards.
In anticipation of the recovery effort, state authorities have deployed nearly 10,000 National Guard members, with up to 20 million meal packs and 40 million litres of water ready to distribute.
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
A flooded round in Lee County
Hurricane Milton batters Floridapublished at 06:45 British Summer Time 10 October
Hurricane Milton is tearing across Florida, bringing deadly tornadoes and floods, and leaving more than two million homes and businesses without power.
- Deaths have been confirmed in St Lucie County on Florida’s east coast - the number is unclear
- The state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, says around 125 homes - many of them mobile - have been destroyed
- The hurricane, which was category five, has been downgraded to category one - but is still wreaking havoc
We'll have all the latest lines from our teams in Florida and across the US on this page.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
A man runs for cover in Fort Myers