Hurricane Ida: Death Toll Rises After Two Bodies Are Found In New Jersey

When Hurricane Ida made landfall last month, it left a path of destruction and claimed many lives. On Friday, the death toll of the Category 4 storm rose when two bodies were identified after being recovered in New Jersey.

Hector C. Lora, the state regional medical examiner, identified the bodies found in the Passaic River on Wednesday and Thursday as Seton Hall University students Nidhi Rana, 18, and Ayush Rana, 21.

“They were both our prom king and queen this year… they were avid tennis players and members of community and school clubs,” Lora said.

A search had been underway during the week to locate three missing people. The search included dozen of boats that were assisted by the state police air unit.

The students were last seen trying to escape their vehicle, which was overpowered during the flooding caused by Hurricane Ida, and swept away toward a drain that led to the Passaic River during the Ida flooding.

Nidhi’s body was found on Wednesday in the water near Kearny. However, Ayush’s body was discovered on Thursday near the Newark border

Donna Lamagro, 56, is the third missing person who was reportedly carried away while attempting a rescue.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has already asked for federal assistance to help the state recover from the damage that resulted from the storm

“We had rain in many communities in two or three hours that were equivalent to what they normally get in a month or two,” Murphy said during an appearance of the CBS program “Face The Nation.”

“This, sadly, we think is part of what we’re going to be facing, more frequency and more intensity.”

The death toll of Hurricane Ida has risen to 54 in the Northeast and 29 in New Jersey.