Two needed dialysis treatment

Ike's US toll climbs to 50 with latest Texas death

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Sep 17, 12:54 PM (ET)

By JON GAMBRILL

TEXAS CITY, Texas (AP) - Hurricane Ike's death toll in the U.S. is up to 50 as authorities on the Texas coast are reporting another fatality from the storm.

Galveston County Medical Examiner Stephen Pustilnik says Wednesday that officials have confirmed the first death in nearby Brazoria County.

Pustilnik also says at least three people who died in Galveston County had serious medical conditions prior to the storm but did not evacuate.

Two needed dialysis treatment and another was a woman cancer whose breathing machine lost power in the storm.

Pustilnik says search teams found another victim drowned in a truck and a fifth was found in a hotel.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) - Hurricane Ike's death toll in the U.S. is up to 55 as authorities on the Texas coast are reporting six more fatalities from the storm.

Galveston County Medical Examiner Stephen Pustilnik says Wednesday that crews have found the first five victims on Galveston Island and another in Brazoria County. Authorities have said they expected to find bodies in Galveston.

Two of the victims in Galveston were people who needed dialysis treatment but did not leave the island. Another was a woman with cancer whose breathing machine lost power in the storm.

Pustilnik says search teams found another victim drowned in a truck and a fifth was found in a hotel.

(This version corrects that the death toll in the U.S. is at 50, not 55. Five deaths in Galveston had previously been reported.)