Trump’s Florida call as care home deaths revealed

PRESIDENT Donald Trump is due to visit Florida today as it emerged eight people died in a nursing home after Hurricane Irma knocked out its air conditioning in soaring temperatures.

Police opened a criminal inquiry into the deaths at the Rehabilitation Center of Hollywood Hills. The incident raised concerns for other homes in a state in which one in five residents are over 65, the highest in the US.

Around 160 nursing homes in Florida were left without power after the storm, according to state officials. Temperatures reached more than 90F (32C) on Tuesday.

Barbara Sharief, a local mayor where the residents died, said: “Elderly people and our population of children are very vulnerable, so they’re not out of the woods yet. We need to try to restore power and try to get those people to a safe and comfortable place.”

Tom Sanchez, Hollywood Police Department chief, said: “The building has been sealed off and we are conducting a criminal investigation inside. It’s a sad event. We’ve assigned officers to go check all the other 42 assisted living facilities and nursing homes throughout the city.”

In a statement the nursing home said it had a “prolonged power failure to the transformer which powered the facility’s air conditioning system as a result of the hurricane”. Three elderly people died at the nursing home, and five more died after being taken to hospital. Another 115 residents of the home were evacuated.

Other deaths in Florida in the wake of Irma included two children, aged 13 and 16, who died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a portable gas generator.

At least 26 people died in Florida and nearby US states and nine million people were without power.