WASHINGTON, Sept 4: A top US federal official admitted for the first time on Sunday that thousands of people died in the Hurricane Katrina disaster in the southern United States.

Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt told CNN television he had no death toll but said: “I think it’s evident it’s in the thousands.”

Senators and local officials have already said thousands of people were killed by Hurricane Katrina last Monday and its chaotic aftermath. But the authorities have refused to give an official toll.—AFP