The death toll from superstorm Sandy that hit the United States and Canada has risen to 43, and was expected to climb further as several people remained missing.
The death toll from superstorm Sandy that hit the United States and Canada has risen to 43, and was expected to climb further as several people remained missing.
Officials in the states of Connecticut, Maryland, N
ew York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia all reported deaths from the massive storm system, while Toronto police said a Canadian woman was killed by flying debris.
Sandy had already killed at least 67 people -- including a US national in Puerto Rico -- as it swept through the Caribbean over the past few days, meaning the overall toll from the storm is now 110.
The total deaths in New York state spiked to 23, after New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg said at least 18 people had been killed in the Big Apple alone.
"Tragically we expect that number to go up," Bloomberg warned.
President Barack Obama declared a "major disaster" in New York and New Jersey as he and Republican rival Mitt Romney cancelled a second day of campaign events to focus on Sandy's victims.
"The most important message I have for them is that America is with you. We are standing behind you and we are going to do everything we can to help you get back on your feet," Obama said.
The president said he would tour New Jersey on Wednesday after the state's governor, Chris Christie, told of "unthinkable" devastation in submerged coastal communities.
More than eight million homes and businesses from the Carolinas to Maine were without power Tuesday, the Department of Energy said.
Transport systems in New York and New Jersey were crippled and expected to stay that way for days as experts warned that the economic fallout could run into the tens of billions of dollars.
