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SC officials report first Florence-related death
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — Officials in South Carolina are reporting the state’s first fatality due to Florence, bringing the storm’s overall death toll to at least five.
A 61-year-old woman was killed late Friday when the vehicle she was driving struck a tree that had fallen across Highway 18 near the town of Union.
LINK: Florence poses ‘catastrophic’ flood threat; at least 7 killed
Capt. Kelley Hughes of the South Carolina Highway Patrol said the woman, who was wearing a seat belt, died at the scene. No passengers were in the vehicle at the time of the crash.
The tree was about 6 feet above the road surface. Hughes said the vehicle’s roof is what struck the tree.
Four weather-related deaths have been reported in North Carolina.