Louisiana officials confirm 5 storm-related deaths following severe weather

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday, May 20, that officials have now confirmed five storm-related deaths since the event began Monday, May 17.

Three of the deaths happened in the Baton Rouge area, one was in Lake Charles, and the fifth was in the Acadian area.

The Louisiana Department of Health reported Thursday that a 46-year-old man died in Vermilion Parish after his vehicle crashed into floodwaters. Officials said the coroner there has confirmed the death is storm-related.

LDH reported Wednesday that the coroner in East Baton Rouge Parish had confirmed the death of a 76-year-old man is considered storm-related because he was dependent on oxygen and lost his life due to oxygen failure during a power outage.

The first death was reported Tuesday morning after a vehicle was submerged in a canal near I-10 in Port Allen late Monday night. The Louisiana Department of Health reported the West Baton Rouge Parish coroner confirmed a 40-year-old man died in a crash caused by heavy rainfall. One injured person was rescued and another person is still missing in that incident.

RELATED: Man dead after car enters high water in Port Allen

Investigators also recovered a body of Justin Thompson, 33, of Gonzales Tuesday in a vehicle underneath an underpass on Bluebonnet Boulevard just to the north of its intersection with Anselmo Lane in Baton Rouge.

RELATED: Coroner identifies man found dead in flooded vehicle on Bluebonnet Blvd underpass

The coroner’s office found no visible trauma and no signs of foul play related to this death. The area of Bluebonnet Blvd where Thompson and his car were located experienced flooding due to severe weather and heavy rain in the Baton Rouge area overnight.

The Louisiana Department of Health reported the Calcasieu Parish coroner confirmed the death of a 61-year-old man found in a submerged vehicle after heavy rains was storm-related.

RELATED: Body recovered from vehicle submerged in ditch

This is a developing news story. WAFB will update this story when more information is available.

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