HOLLYWOOD, Fla./SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico—The death toll from Hurricane Irma climbed on Sept. 13, with authorities reporting that six patients at a Florida nursing home had died after losing power, as millions struggled with no electricity and scarce essential services in the storm-hit state.
Irma, categorized as one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record when it rampaged through the Caribbean, has killed at least 77 people, including 36 in the United States, officials said.
Some 4.3 million homes and businesses, or about 9 million people, were without power at midday on Sept. 13 in Florida and nearby states.
The Florida Keys archipelago was particularly hard hit after Irma made initial U.S. landfall on Sept. 10 and became the second major hurricane to strike the mainland this season.
Another seven people died in Monroe County, which includes the Keys, officials said.
Police opened a criminal investigation at the Rehabilitation Center of Hollywood Hills, where two elderly residents were found dead at the facility and four later died at a nearby hospital, officials said.
More than 100 patients at the nursing home were evacuated on Sept. 13 along with 18 patients from a nearby facility that was cleared due to the criminal investigation, Hollywood officials said.
