At least 14 dead as Hurricane Milton batters Florida

By Zehra Nur Celik

Hurricane Milton has claimed the lives of at least 14 people in Florida, with five fatalities reported due to tornadoes in St. Lucie County on the state's Atlantic coast, local media reported on Friday.

The powerful storm spawned a tornado outbreak prior to landfall, leaving millions without electricity, according to NBC News.

Making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, Milton unleashed historic rainfall across parts of the Tampa Bay area on the Gulf coast, marking it as a one-in-1,000-year event. The hurricane struck near Siesta Key, a barrier island close to Sarasota, at 8.30 p.m. local time (0030GMT) on Wednesday.

Now classified as a post-tropical cyclone, Milton is anticipated to weaken further in the coming days.

Various national and local organizations are gathering donations to assist the affected regions in Florida, NBC News reported.