Irma death toll increases to 42 in Florida

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Hurricane Irma’s official death count in Florida has grown to 42, up from 34 on Monday — and the number is expected to continue increasing.

The latest total doesn’t include any deaths from Monroe County, where recovery efforts continue. The Miami Herald has reported at least nine deaths in Monroe, while the county tweeted that it has had eight deaths. Also, a Broward County count grew from six on Monday to seven on Tuesday but still did not list eight residents of a sweltering Hollywood nursing home who died last Wednesday. The deaths of the nursing-home residents have spurred a criminal investigation.

The official figures are compiled by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Division of Emergency Management based on reports by county medical examiners.

Deaths from Irma have been reported in Broward, Collier, Duval, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Liberty, Marion, Okeechobee, Orange, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, St. Lucie, Taylor and Volusia counties.

Fourteen deaths across the state are now attributed to a blunt-force injury — typically involving traffic crashes or injuries that occurred during the storm or while people worked on storm preparation or recovery. Irma is also blamed for seven deaths by drowning and 11 deaths involving carbon monoxide.