North Carolina officials on Wednesday repeated warnings to stay away from the state's swollen rivers as flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew continues to plague the state.
At a news conference, Gov. Pat McCrory announced the deaths of two people in storm-related flooding. One person died while trying to drive through flood waters in Wayne County, he said. The other, a 51-year-old man, was swept away Sunday while walking in Johnson County. His body was "just recovered," McCrory said.
The deaths bring the state's total Matthew-related fatalities to 19. Authorities have not identified the victims.
"This hurricane continues in North Carolina," McCrory said, urging caution. Area rivers are expected to continue to flood through Saturday.
Boat crews performed 50 rescue operations on Tuesday night, McCrory said, primarily south of Fayetteville in Robeson County. Authorities said two people have died in the county in cars swept away by flood waters.
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The deaths bring the hurricane-related death toll to at least 35 in the United States.
Authorities in Virginia said on Monday that one person died in a Matthew-related incident. Anthony Longoria, 38, died when he rear-ended a tractor-trailer that had stopped on Interstate 64 because of a downed tree.
Officials in five Florida counties have counted at least nine deaths attributable to Matthew.
Three deaths in Georgia and three in South Carolina appeared to be storm-related.
More than 1,000 people died as Hurricane Matthew spun across the Caribbean.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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