Hurricane Sandy death toll climbs above 110, N.Y. hardest hit

The number of lives lost and families shattered from Hurricane Sandy continued to climb Saturday, with the death toll now at more than 110.

The number of lives claimed in New York from the super storm was reduced by one to 48, after medical examiners determined two deaths initially linked to the storm were not, and another body was found during the recovery effort.

Hardest-hit parts of the state are still buried in rubble and tunnels in metropolitan New York still flooded, leaving officials to wearily expect that the number could keep climbing.

In New Jersey, some communities remain under evacuation. State police said Saturday night they had confirmed 24 deaths linked to the storm.

The Pennsylvania governor’s office confirmed 14 fatalities there, several from falling trees and carbon monoxide poisoning. Two people died in fires and an 8-year-old child from a falling tree. In Connecticut, a firefighter responding to a blaze was killed when a tree fell on his truck.

One of the first fatalities reported was in Maryland, from a car accident. Eleven people have lost their lives in that state because of Sandy.

Storm-related deaths have been reported in at least nine states, with causes including hypothermia and car crashes amid last week's blinding snow and excessive wind.

Hurricane Sandy-related fatalities by state:

New York – 48

New Jersey - 24

Pennsylvania – 14

Maryland – 11

West Virginia – 7

Connecticut – 4

North Carolina – 2

Virginia – 2

New Hampshire - 1

Total: 113

Joseph Serna, Los Angeles Times