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Haiti storm death toll nears 500

06/09/2008

The death toll from tropical storm Hanna, that has passed over the Caribbean state of Haiti over the last few days, is nearing 500, according to local authorities.

The US' national hurricane centre expects Hanna to be a strong Category One storm as it moves beyond Haiti to North and South Carolina. It is the eight storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and comes a week after Gustav caused massive damage in Haiti and the US state of Louisiana.

Haiti's police commissioner Ernst Dourfeuille told the Reuters news agency: "The weather is calm now and we are discovering more bodies. We have found 495 bodies so far and there are 13 people missing.

"The smell of the dead is very unpleasant in Gonaives [one of the worst-affected cities located on the coast]. The death toll could be even higher," he added.

Tropical storm Ike is set to be the next severe weather system to make landfall on the US coast. It is currently a Category Three storm, the same intensity as Hurricane Katrina three years ago, and is expected to pass through the Gulf of Mexico, which has thousands of oil rigs. Forecasters expect it to make landfall near Florida next week after passing over Cuba.