Hundreds Feared Dead As Darkness Engulfs Florida After Hurricane Ian's Rampage

Hundreds are feared to have died after Hurricane Ian battered Florida and left the sunshine state submerged in water and plunged into darkness with over 2.6 million residents without electricity.

Ian hit the Gulf Coast of Florida on Wednesday and knocked down power for almost 3 million customers, although power has been restored in some households.

While the death toll remains uncertain as reports are still sketchy following the devastation along the path of Ian, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged in a news briefing that people likely have died due to the hurricane, according to Reuters.

"We fully expect to have mortality from this hurricane," DeSantis said.

President Joe Biden also spoke at the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington and said that Ian could be the deadliest hurricane that ever experienced by Florida.

Biden said the death toll is still unclear but they are “hearing early reports of what may be substantial loss of life.”

A spokesperson from Charlotte, one of the counties in Florida that was extremely hit by the hurricane confirmed that there have been reports of multiple deaths already, however, there are still no firm figures for the exact death toll. In Sarasota County, two possible storm-related deaths are still being investigated, according to the sheriff’s spokesperson.

In Lee County, Sheriff Carmine Marceno said Thursday during an appearance on Good Morning America that fatalities around their area could reach hundreds. "While I don't have confirmed numbers, I definitely know fatalities are in the hundreds.”

DeSantis also said that, indeed, reports on the death toll have yet to be confirmed, according to ABC’s WEAR-TV and the Orlando Sentinel.

"I think you'll have more clarity about that in the next day or so as they're able to go to those locations and determine whether people need services or are able to be rescued," DeSantis said, according to the outlets. "That number put out by Lee is basically an estimate that these people were calling, the water was rising on their home and they may not have ended up getting through.