Deaths expected to rise as Florida begins to assess the destruction

The death toll from Hurricane Milton rose to at least 10 yesterday as Florida continued to assess the damage from the category 3 storm that left more than 3.4m homes and businesses without power.

- Richard Luscombe, Edward Helmore

Five fatalities were in a senior community in St Lucie county, which was struck by a tornado formed in Milton's outer bands, authorities said. The tornado happened before the hurricane made landfall near Sarasota, on Florida's western coast, on Wednesday evening.

The Volusia county sheriff, Michael Chitwood, said three people had died in his county, and the police force in St Petersburg confirmed two storm-related deaths.

Parts of Sarasota, Fort Myers, Venice and other Gulf coast cities were inundated by a storm surge of up to 10ft (3m), while tornadoes wrecked buildings, the skies turned purple and winds as high as 120mph turned cars, trees and debris into projectiles.

"Our hearts break for the Floridians who have lost so much," Alejandro Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, said in an afternoon briefing from the White House.

Rescue operations were still underway last night, the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, said at a press briefing.

In Tampa, 135 people were rescued from an assisted living facility. The city's police department also released video of officers rescuing children from a house that was partially destroyed by a fallen tree.