St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson confirmed that several people were killed at the Spanish Lakes Country Club in southeastern Florida after hurricane Milton, a category 3 storm, hit the US state and caused multiple tornadoes, US media reported on Thursday.
Police officers are checking each house at the senior community off Spanish Lakes Boulevard near Fort Pierce to help those affected, and search and rescue operations are underway, the WPTV broadcaster reported, adding that it is unclear how many people have died.
"We have dozens of homes in St. Lucie County that have been damaged, some catastrophic damage," St. Lucie County spokesman Erick Gill was quoted as saying by the broadcaster.
Several tornadoes have spawned across the Treasure Coast and Palm Beach County as hurricane Milton approaches Florida, the report added.
Kevin Guthrie, the director of Florida's Division of Emergency Management, reportedly noted that about 125 homes were destroyed across the state, mostly mobile homes in senior communities.
On Monday, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in Florida and unlocking federal aid for local authorities to tackle the impact. Evacuations have been ordered for millions of local residents.
