US prosecutors have started a criminal investigation into levee failures in New Orleans, Louisiana, during Hurricane Katrina in late August that left much of the city under water and over 1,000 people dead.

The investigators were trying to determine if corruption was involved in the design, construction and maintenance of the flood barriers, media reports said Thursday.

The criminal investigation was started the week after Hurricane Katrina hit the US Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, US Attorney Jim Letten was quoted as saying.

Other investigations, including one by Louisiana's attorney general into whether the failures were caused by poor construction or design flaws, were also underway.

In another development, five more police officers in New Orleans were fired Thursday for being absent without leave in the aftermath of Katrina and four others were suspended by the city's Police Department, police spokesman Marlon Defillo said.

That action brought to 56 the number of employees who have lost their jobs for being absent without leave in New Orleans. Forty- five police officers and six civilian employees were fired last month during Katrina.

Source: Xinhua