At least 200 people have been killed by Hurricane Helene, which battered several southeastern US states and caused widespread destruction, particularly in North Carolina, where more than half the victims died, US officials said Thursday.

An AFP count based on official figures showed that 200 people were killed in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia, making Helene the second deadliest hurricane to hit the US mainland in more than half a century, after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.