Four dead and thousands without power after Hurricane Isaias lashes US

Four people have died and hundreds of thousands are without power after Hurricane Isaias battered parts of the southern US with powerful winds and heavy rain.

Officials reported two deaths each in the states of Alabama and Florida, which included people who were killed when trees fell on their houses.

An estimated 500,000 people in total were without power in several states as of Saturday evening, according to tracker PowerOutage.

Isaias made landfall in Florida late on Friday with maximum sustained winds of 105mph (168km/h) before being downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone.

The storm felled trees and ripped the roofs off buildings. Alabama, Florida and Georgia all declared states of emergency ahead of its arrival, while both Florida and Alabama issued mandatory evacuation orders to thousands of people.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Simon is bearing down on Mexico's Pacific coast and has strengthened to category four. It is expected to make landfall sometime overnight.

Tropical Storm Rachel, also in the Pacific Ocean, is expected to hit southern California later on Saturday.

Two deaths related to Isaias were reported in Florida's Escambia County. A woman was killed when a tree fell on her house, local Sheriff Chip Simmons said.