WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- The death toll from Hurricane Katrina rose to 973 on Monday, after Louisiana health officials updated the state's number of confirmed deaths to 736.

    The number of fatalities in Louisiana from the storm, which struck the Gulf Coast region on Aug. 29, was 646 as of Sunday morning. All the deaths in the state were discovered in New Orleans and its surrounding districts.

    Of the total, 218 were recorded in Mississippi, two in Alabama and Georgia each, one in Tennessee, and 14 in Florida, which was hit by Katrina on Aug. 25.

    The toll was expected to rise as rescue workers continued their search operations in New Orleans, where floodwaters were receding quickly. Enditem