Hurricane Irene death toll reaches 44

Post-Tropical Cyclone Irene has left more than 40 people dead in the US, whilst authorities are warning that flooding could continue for up to three days in northern US states, BBC reports.

More than five million people remain without electricity and the northern US region of New England was faced with floods. In New York City, where people had braced themselves for the most severe attack, the tube stations and buses were up and running again on Monday.

News media report how people were faced with the most danger after the storm passed and the rainwater made its way into rivers and streams and turned them into torrents.

The hurricane killed at least five people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, whilst the death toll rose as bodies were pulled from floodwaters and people were struck by falling trees or electrocuted power lines.