Severe flooding in southern U.S. state of Louisiana killed at least three on Friday, U.S. media reported.

Heavy rain and flooding has resulted in closures of schools, roads and state offices, with rainful accumulations of about seven to ten inches (about 17.8 to 25.4 cm), which almost reached record level.

Calling the flooding "unprecedented", Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards on Friday declared a state of emergency for the entire state, which will remain in effect till Sept. 10.

Local police and the national guard were requested to carry out rescue operations and the governor's office asked residents to "obey road signs and to constantly monitor the news for updates."

However, at least three people were killed and searches are still underway to look for the missing.

The storm, moving slowly to the west along the Gulf Coast, would dump even more rain and cause "significant flash flooding" through the weekend, said the National Weather Service.

Source : XINHUA