The Hurricane Sandy death toll climbed above 50 by the end of Tuesday as high winds and heavy rain drenched the Northeast.

As the storm moved past the hard-hit New Jersey and New York areas to continue its trek inland, it left a wake of death and destruction in its path not seen in the nation’s most densely populated region in decades.

As The Associated Press reported, the Hurricane Sandy death toll reached at least 50 people, many of them hit by falling trees or debris. The storm continued to cause havoc on Tuesday night as it prepared to turn inland across Pennsylvania on its way to Western New York.

New Jersey governor Chris Christie assessed the damage in New Jersey on Tuesday, finding that seaside rail lines had washed away, Fox News reported. Parts of the New Jersey coast remained underwater as he made a tour of the hardest hit areas.

“The level of devastation at the Jersey Shore is unthinkable,” he said. “Houses are moved off their foundations, there are houses in the middle of route 35.”

Christie went on to add, “It is beyond anything I thought I’d ever see … It is a devastating sight right now.”

Hurricane Sandy already had a high death toll before it made landfall in the United States. The storm killed 69 people as it cut through the Caribbean on its way up the eastern seaboard before hitting the United States on Monday evening.

The Hurricane Sandy death toll could still rise, the report noted. More than 8.2 million homes still lack power across 17 states, reaching as far as Michigan.

Hurricane Sandy Death Toll Surpasses 50 is a post from: The Inquisitr