Hurricane Helene death toll could rise further as 200 confirmed dead

A woman walks to her damaged home in North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene (Mike Stewart/AP)

Hurricane Helene’s death toll has reached 200 and could rise higher as emergency services made their way to the hardest-to-reach places in the mountains of western North Carolina.

The storm washed out roads and knocked out electricity, water and mobile phone service in many parts of the region.