Hurricane Melissa kills 49 in Caribbean

Hurricane Melissa has unleashed devastating destruction across the Caribbean, leaving at least 49 people dead amid powerful winds and torrential rainfall. Haiti has suffered the worst damage.

Although the hurricane did not make direct landfall in the country, continuous heavy rain has caused severe flooding and landslides. In the southern city of Petit-Goâve, river waters inundated residential areas, killing 23 people, including 10 children. Across the country, at least 30 people have died and 20 remain missing, while homes, roads and farmland have been badly damaged.

According to official data available until Thursday, the hurricane gained further strength as it passed near Bermuda in the North Atlantic.

Jamaica has also suffered significant casualties from the storm. The country’s information minister confirmed that at least 19 people have died there. Rescue operations are still ongoing. Hundreds of buildings have lost their roofs, power supplies have been disrupted, and many areas have been reduced to rubble.

The Jamaican army has called on reserve members to join the ongoing rescue efforts. Hurricane Melissa struck the island’s south-western coast on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm, considered the most powerful hurricane in Jamaica’s history.

Experts estimate that the storm has caused between 48 and 52 billion US dollars’ worth of damage across the western Caribbean region.

According to the US National Hurricane Center, as of 11pm local time on Thursday, the hurricane was located about 264 kilometres west of Bermuda. It remained a Category 2 hurricane, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 161 kilometres per hour.