Hurricane Milton hammers Florida with dangerous floods as multiple killed, 3 million without power: Live

Florida residents are battling extensive flooding as streets turn to rivers after Hurricane Milton slammed into the west coast, leaving “multiple” fatalities.

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 .

More than three-million homes and businesses in Florida have been left powerless, with those in the west-central region the worst impacted.

“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.

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 , but the threat to life continues through Thursday, the National Hurricane Center warned

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

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