White House mum on Katrina toll
2005-09-08 21:47
Washington - The White House on Thursday declined to predict the death toll from Hurricane Katrina but forecast "a very ugly situation" when flood waters ebb from New Orleans and the number of casualties becomes clearer.
Spokesperson Scott McClellan, asked about a Louisiana health official's revelation that about 25 000 body bags had been brought to the area, replied: "I'm not going to try to speculate about any such numbers at this point."
"We have mortuary teams that are preparing for recovery of bodies. That is a priority," he told reporters.
"It is going to be a very ugly situation when those flood waters recede and we start to go in and recover bodies and we look at the additional public health issues that need to be addressed," said McClellan.
- AFP