Hurricane Milton devastates Florida leaving multiple dead as police chief warns ‘we’ll be finding bodies’: Live

Hurricane Milton has devastated portions of Florida causing “multiple deaths” and officials predicting that more bodies will be found upon sunrise.

Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday night near Sarasota County’s Siesta Key , bringing multiple tornadoes, 28ft waves, strong winds, heavy rainfall, and devastating storm surge .

Evacuation alerts were blasted out to millions, with Bradenton Police Chief Melanie issuing a bleak prognosis for those who neglected advice.

“What we’ll probably be finding in the morning are bodies,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Thursday.

“Multiple deaths” have already been confirmed after dozens of tornadoes spawned in St Lucie County, seeing a tornado strike Spanish Lakes Country Club retirement village in Fort Pierce, county Sheriff Keith Pearson said.

More than 3.2m homes and businesses in Florida have been left powerless, with those in the west-central region the worst impacted. A large crane was downed in St Petersburg and the roof of Tropicana Field baseball stadium was ripped clean off during Milton’s ferocious winds.

After landfall, Milton has weakened to a Category 1 hurricane and is moving off Florida’s east coast – with residents still battling against brutal winds and storm surge.