The US death toll from Hurricane Ian and its subsequent weather effects rose to at least 27 fatalities on Friday night as authorities were able to confirm more drownings and other deaths, according to Fox News.

Hours earlier, the death toll had been pegged at 17, but the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said later that night that other deaths had been confirmed in the state.

CNN estimated that Hurricane Ian caused at least 45 deaths during its passage through Florida, where it left an apocalyptic path of destruction.

The death toll published by ABC News was 33.

Authorities confirmed to ABC News that there have been 16 deaths in Lee County, six deaths in Charlotte County, two deaths in Sarasota, four deaths in Volusia, one death in Lake County, three deaths in Collier County. and a death in Manatee.

One of the fatalities was a 22-year-old woman who was fatally ejected from an ATV due to a highway slide and a 68-year-old woman who drowned after a wave swept her into the ocean.

An elderly couple died after their oxygen machines shut down when they lost power, authorities said.

Authorities expect the death toll to rise further as emergency officials are able to assess damaged properties.

Hundreds of rescues have already taken place across the state.

Three people reportedly died from the storm in Cuba.

Ian, officially a post-tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 55 mph, is estimated to be one of the costliest hurricanes to ever hit the US.

According to disaster modeling firm Karen Clark & ​​Company, the storm likely caused “more than $100 billion” in damage, including $63 billion in privately insured losses.

Ian, now a post-tropical cyclone, was moving inland Friday night after lashing South Carolina with fierce winds and a destructive storm surge.

The storm made its second landfall in the United States near Georgetown, South Carolina, on Friday afternoon as a Category 1 hurricane.

By Friday, it continued to pack 60 mph winds but was expected to weaken overnight and dissipate over North Carolina or Virginia by Saturday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Flash flooding was possible in parts of North and South Carolina and southeastern Virginia on Friday night, while the storm also threatened tornadoes across eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia.

Two days earlier, Ian made landfall along Florida’s southwestern coast as a major Category 4 hurricane, devastating coastal communities, turning roads into creeks and leaving debris and debris behind.

As communities in Florida began to recover after the powerful storm, authorities in South Carolina on Friday night began assessing the damage in their state.

Two piers in the state, Cherry Grove Pier in North Myrtle Beach and Pawleys Island Pier, partially collapsed due to the storm.

The water had receded in both causeways, but Pawleys Island Police announced that they would not allow anyone to return to the island until safety assessments were carried out in the morning.

More than 128,000 people were without power statewide as of 9:30 p.m. Friday, according to poweroutage.us.

In North Carolina, more than 330,000 customers lost power and in Florida, more than 1.4 million.

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