Hurricane Melissa death toll nears 50
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The death toll across Jamaica is expected to rise, but Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie would not provide a number on Thursday. About 13,000 people are staying in 521 shelters as of Thursday afternoon, he said.
The Jamaican authorities said they were not able to confirm the death toll from the storm yet, but expected it to rise in the coming days. At least 30 people died in Haiti, officials said.
Authorities in Haiti said at least 25 people, including 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. Cuba has yet to report casualties but has suffered widespread destruction.
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in southwest Jamaica this week near the coastal town of Black River, which the government has described as “ground zero.”