WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- The death toll from Hurricane Katrina rose past 1,000 to 1,037 on Wednesday, after Louisiana health officials raised the state's number of confirmed deaths to 799.

    The total number included 219 dead in Mississippi, two in Alabama and Georgia each, one in Tennessee, and 14 in Florida.

    Katrina pounded the Gulf Coast region on Aug. 29, after a hit on Florida on Aug. 25.

    The toll was expected to rise as rescue workers continued search operations in New Orleans, Louisiana, where floodwaters were receding and more bodies might be uncovered.

    In another development, Hurricane Rita strengthened into a Category 5 storm on Wednesday, and forecasters said it could come ashore near Galveston, Texas, late Friday or early Saturday. Enditem