At Least 14 Dead In Florida Hurricane

PUNTA GORDA, Florida, Aug 14 (AFP) - At least 14 people have been killed by Hurricane Charley in Florida and the devastating storm could have killed dozens, emergency officials said Saturday.
Charlotte County Emergency Management Director Wayne Sallade told a press conference that 10 deaths had been confirmed in Charlotte county, which includes the small town of Punta Gorda that was hit by the eye of the storm on Friday night.
Other officials have confirmed at least four dead in isolated accidents in the rest of the state. One child was crushed to death when a truck overturned onto a vehicle in which the child was travelling. Another person was electrocuted.
Sallade has ordered 60 body bags to be brought to the town of 15,000 where many victims were believed to be in the mobile home parks that were flattened by the hurricane.
"We do have dead, we don't know how many," Sallade told the press conference, local media reported.
When questioned about the final told he said he hoped it would not be in the hundreds.
"I would hope that it would be limited to dozens, if that," he added.
"We have taken a crushing blow in Charlotte County," the official commented adding that sheriff's deputies were guarding the bodies because ambulances could not get to the stricken areas.
The hurricane hit Florida on Friday and on Saturday headed north up the US Atlantic coast.