Tropical cyclone: ​​Hurricane "Melissa" is now heading towards the Bahamas after Cuba.

After Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa has also caused severe devastation in the Caribbean nations of Cuba and Haiti , killing at least 27 people so far. In Cuba, the storm caused "considerable damage," Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel told the online news service X. "These were very difficult early morning hours," he added, urging Cubans to remain in shelters due to the still-strong storm, rain, and the risk of storm surges.

According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), tropical cyclone Melissa made landfall in Cuba early Wednesday morning local time with maximum wind speeds of 195 kilometers per hour and heavy rainfall. Melissa had previously been classified as a Category 5 hurricane. five with wind speeds of up to 298 kilometers per hour The hour passed over Jamaica .

Melissa has now reached the Bahamas and weakened to a Category 1 hurricane. Nevertheless, the government there has ordered evacuations for six of the more than 700 islands, citing the risk of storm surges and flooding. Weather forecasters predict it will then move towards Bermuda.

Children die in floods in Haiti

At least 23 people, including at least ten children, have died in floods caused by the storm in Haiti, Haitian authorities said. Thirteen people are still missing. In the neighboring Dominican Republic, one person has been killed, according to multiple reports. A nine-year-old boy is still missing, the New York Times reported, citing a local security official.

While Melissa didn't directly hit Haiti, the eye of the massive storm swept across eastern Cuba. In the city of Santiago de Cuba, streets and houses were flooded. The storm uprooted trees, snapped power lines, and ripped roofs off buildings. In the city's largest hotel, windows were shattered and some ceilings collapsed. At least 241 localities were temporarily cut off from the outside world. cut off.

The state-run newspaper Granma reported a river bursting its banks and a landslide in the town of El Cobre. Civil defense forces were attempting to rescue 17 people trapped there, it said.

Cleanup operations have begun in Jamaica

Cleanup efforts have begun in Jamaica following the passage of the hurricane. Authorities report that at least four people have died there. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the Caribbean nation a disaster area.

The United Nations coordinator in Jamaica, Dennis Zulu, said at a press conference on Wednesday that, according to initial assessments, Jamaica had been devastated "on an unprecedented scale." The cyclone had caused "massive and unprecedented destruction of infrastructure, property, roads, and network connections." People across the country were housed in emergency shelters. Nearly one-fifth of Jamaica's approximately 2.8 million inhabitants were without power at some point.

Local authorities in Jamaica warned that crocodiles now pose a particular danger after the storm passed. Due to rising water levels in rivers and swamps, the animals could enter residential areas.

According to the US National Hurricane Center, Melissa was one of the strongest hurricanes in the past 170 years. The hurricane made landfall on Jamaica's southwest coast, reaching Category 5, the highest category, with wind speeds of up to 295 kilometers per hour, near the town of New Hope. Jamaica had never before been directly hit by a Category 4 or 5 storm.