WASHINGTON, March 2 (Xinhua) — At least five people, including two children, have died in the ongoing windstorm plaguing U.S. East Coast, local media reported on Friday.

A 6-year-old boy died in the state of Virginia after a tree fell on his family's house early Friday morning when he was sleeping, the authorities said.

Later in the day in Putnam County, New York State, an 11-year-old boy died when a tree fell onto his home and trapped him underneath. His mother who was at home with the child, was hospitalized, according to multiple TV outlets.

The three other fatalities include a 77-year-old woman in Baltimore, a man in his 70s in Rhode Island and a 44-year-old man in Virginia, all struck by wind-felled trees.

The highest wind gust was 134 km per hour in both East Falmouth, Massachusetts, and Little Compton, Rhode Island.

Hurricane-force wind gusts will continue through coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island overnight, according to the U.S. National Weather Service, which said strong winds are likely to remain throughout Friday and into Saturday.