Hurricane Melissa live updates: At least 34 dead across Caribbean as storm barrels toward Bermuda
Hurricane Melissa tore through the northern Caribbean and was picking up speed as it churned toward Bermuda Thursday after killing at least 34 people across Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti.
The devastating storm’s death toll has continued to rise as the hurricane, once a Category 5 storm, continues to weaken while unleashing heavy rains and hurricane conditions over the Bahamas. Melissa was forecast to pass near the northwest of Bermuda late Thursday, bringing gusty winds and destruction, before weakening on Friday.
Authorities in Haiti said at least 25 people, including 10 children, have been killed. In Jamaica, eight deaths have been confirmed, while one fatality has been reported in the Dominican Republic, bringing the current known death toll across the Caribbean to 34. No casualties had been reported in Cuba, but the island has suffered widespread destruction.
The storm was the Caribbean’s third-most intense hurricane on record, as well as its slowest-moving, which made for even greater devastation from Jamaica to Cuba and Haiti.
The U.S. said it would deploy disaster response teams to the Caribbean to help those affected by Melissa.
