St Bernard Parish (as city districts are called in New Orleans) Sheriff Jack Stevens said "30 plus" bodies were found Wednesday at St. Rita's Nursing Home.

He said 40 to 50 other people inside the nursing home were alive and had been rescued.

The sheriff did not provide an exact body count and the number was not added to the official death toll of 83 announced Tuesday by New Orleans authorities.

Mayor Ray Nagin has said the death toll from Katrina and the massive floods that ensued and submerged 80 percent of the city could reach 10,000.