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Four killed, thousands rescued in severe flooding in U.S. state

Xinhua, August 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

Four people have been killed and thousands of others have been rescued since Friday as severe flooding hit the southern U.S. state of Louisiana.

At least 20,000 people have been rescued and 10,000 others have to stay in shelters after thousands of homes across the state have been flooded since Friday, said Louisiana governor John Edwards in a press conference.

More than 1,000 vehicles with people trapped in on Interstate 12 have been rescued while over 200 roads have been closed and more than 1,400 bridges will have to be inspected, he added.

Edwards had declared a state of emergency in the state on Friday after heavy rains downpoured in southeast Louisiana.

Up to 1,700 members of the state National Guard have been deployed and some 2,000 others will be mobilized in the coming days, said Edwards.

The U.S. government declared Sunday night a major disaster in Louisiana's four parishes of Tangipahoa, St. Helena, East Baton Rouge and Livingston, making federal funding for flood-related assistance possible.

Edwards expected additional parishes of the state to be added as authorities assess the extent of the damage. Endi