A tree is seen after being toppled by strong wind after Hurricane Irma swept through the area, in Miami, Florida, the United States, on Sept. 11, 2017. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)
WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from Hurricane Irma has risen to 12 in the United States, local authorities said on Tuesday.
At least seven people, including a sheriff's deputy and a corrections officer, died of storm-related injuries in Florida as the hurricane barreled across the southeast U.S. state since the weekend.
Among the seven, three died from car crashes; one was killed after he lost control of a truck that carried a generator as winds whipped at tropical-storm strength; another was electrocuted by a downed power line and pronounced dead at the scene.
The sixth person died from carbon monoxide poisoning from improper use of a generator, while the seventh died when cutting fallen tree branches, according to an ABC News report.
Irma made landfall on the low-lying islands of Florida on Sunday morning as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing 130 mph winds and a storm surge of 10 feet. It then moved north Monday, bringing heavy rain and wind through the northern Florida city of Jacksonville and then the states of Georgia and South Carolina.
Also as a result of the hurricane, at least three people have died in Georgia and at least another two in South Carolina, said local media reports.
In Georgia, a man died while lying in bed after a large tree broke and fell on his home in the city of Sandy Springs, Mayor Rusty Paul announced on Facebook. The second victim was a woman who was killed after a downed tree struck her vehicle. The reason for the third death in the state is not available.
In South Carolina, a 57-year-old man was killed after a tree limb fell on him, while a 21-year-old died in a car crash, said local officials.
At least 37 others died from Irma in the Caribbean, including at least 10 in Cuba.
Irma, which tore a path of destruction across the Caribbean and through the Southeast of the United States, was the first Category 4 landfall in Florida since 2004.
