US: 3 storm deaths recorded as Laura loses strength

ANKARA

The US state of Louisiana reported three fatalities from Hurricane Laura on Thursday as the Category 4 storm lost strength and became a Category 1 hurricane.

Governor John Bel Edwards' office confirmed to CNN that two men and a girl died after trees fell on houses they occupied.

Earlier in the day, he identified the girl, 14, as the first confirmed fatality.

The storm has maximum sustained winds of 70 miles (113 kilometers) per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

"Now is not the time to go sightseeing. The threat #Laura poses to Louisiana is far from over," Edwards said on Twitter, urging residents to stay home and continue to heed warnings from officials.

The NHC warned that "dangerous storm surge will result in elevated water levels for the next few hours along the Gulf Coast from Sabine Pass, Texas to Port Fourchon, Louisiana."