A mother and her infant child were killed when a tree fell on their house in North Carolina – the first of at least four reported fatalities of Hurricane Florence.

Police in the city of Wilmington, located on the coast where the storm blew ashore on Friday morning, confirmed the individuals were killed when a tree fell on the home in Mercer Avenue. Media said emergency crews had been working to save the pair, but their efforts were in vain; a man – the husband and father of the victims – was also hurt and transported to hospital.

As news of the deaths was confirmed, emergency crews from the fire department knelt and prayed outside the house, a moment captured by NBC journalist Lester Holt. “A remarkably touching scene in Wilmington NC as firefighters huddle in prayer for 2 victims in partial house collapse,” he wrote. Some time after that, a third and fourth fatality were reported.

The city’s police force had initially confirmed it was working to free people from a house where a tree had fallen. Reports said the emergency team had with them an specialist in performing amputations, should that have been required.

Shortly afterwards, it posted another tweet that read: “WPD can confirm the first two fatalities of Hurricane #Florence in Wilmington. A mother and infant were killed when a tree fell on their house. The father was transported to New Hanover Regional Medical Centre with injuries.”

Hurricane Florence winds rip American flag to pieces

The city of Wilmington, which has a population of just under 120,000, is a few miles from Wrightsville Beach, where Hurricane Florence came ashore at 7.15am. At that point, according to the National Hurricane Centre (NHC), the storm had winds of a relatively modest 90mph and had been downgraded to a category 1 storm. Yet the centre said it still bore with it the threat of “catastrophic” freshwater flooding.

Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Show all 20 1 /20 Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Barmen protect their business from the storm and the opportunists Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Many supplies have run out as Hurricane Florence approaches in Nichols, South Carolina AP Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Hurricane Florence seen from space on September 12 AP Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Students of East Carolina University's Coastal Storms class use anemometers to measure wind speeds at Union Point Park in New Bern, North Carolina AP Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Rescue workers are on the scene in James City, North Carolina Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Sixteen hours before Florence even hits land, the Neuse River bursts its banks and floods New Bern, North Carolina Alamy Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Volunteer rescue workers help three children out of their flooded home in James City, North Carolina Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast A boardwalk is damaged in Atlantic Beach on North Carolina's coast Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Union Point Park in New Bern is closed Reuters Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast A child sits in Conway High School, which is being used as an evacuation centre in South Carolina AFP/Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Locals voice their disapproval of the storm in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Volunteer rescue workers help children from their flooded home in James City Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast A man floats down his street in a metal tub after the Neuse River burst its banks in New Bern, North Carolina Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Electric lines are affected in Wilmington, North Carolina Alamy Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Floods in New Bern, North Carolina as Florence approaches Alamy Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Waves crash over a pier on Atlantic Beach in North Carolina as Hurricane Florence approaches AP Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Hurricane Florence is seen from the International Space Station as it churns in the Atlantic Ocean towards the east coast of the US NASA/Reuters Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast This NOAA/RAMMB satellite image taken on September 10, 2018, shows Hurricane Florence off the US' east coast in the Atantic Ocean AFP/Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast In this NOAA satellite handout image, Hurricane Florence is shown travelling west and gaining strength in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Bermuda on September 10, 2018 Getty Hurricane Florence hits the US East Coast Firefighters rescue people by boat in New Bern, North Carolina Getty

CNN said that soon after police confirmed the deaths of the mother and her child, a third fatality was reported from Pender County in North Carolina. That victim, a woman, also died Friday morning after emergency responders were unable to get to her due to downed trees and debris in the road, said Chad McEwen, the assistant county manager for Pender County. Mr McEwen said 911 had been called for the woman in cardiac distress in the town of Hampstead.

Officials also reported a fatality in Lenoir County. The office of the state’s governor, Roy Cooper, said the person was killed in Lenoir County while plugging in a generator.

“To those in the storm’s path, if you can hear me, please stay sheltered in place,” Mr Cooper said at a news conference in Raleigh. He said Florence would “continue its violent grind across the state for days”.

Authorities said more than 60 people, including many children and pets, had to be evacuated from a hotel in Jacksonville, North Carolina, after strong winds caused parts of the roof to collapse.

On Friday afternoon, the Associated Press said a weakening Hurricane Florence was almost at a standstill over southeastern North Carolina. At 2 pm, it was centered about 35 miles west-southwest of Wilmington, and about 35 miles (55 kilometers) east-northeast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was crawling west at just five mph.