The evacuation of Hurricane Katrina refugees from the Superdome in New Orleans was suspended today after shots were fired at a military helicopter, an ambulance official overseeing the operation said. No immediate injuries were reported.

Army engineers trying to plug New Orleans’ breached levees struggled to move giant sandbags and concrete barriers into place, and the governor said today the situation was growing more desperate and there was no choice but to abandon the flooded city.

As dawn broke over the ravaged Gulf of Mexico coastline today, rescuers in boats and helicopters furiously searched for survivors of Hurricane Katrina, with fears the death toll could reach 80.