Death toll from Hurricane Melissa rises to 49 PHOTO

The death toll from Hurricane Melissa has climbed to 49, with many more still reported missing, as search and rescue operations continue across the northern Caribbean.

Haiti reported the highest number of fatalities, suffering at least 30 deaths and 20 people missing after days of torrential rains, despite not being directly hit by the storm, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Jamaica confirmed 19 deaths, while the Dominican Republic reported one fatality before Melissa’s landfall elsewhere.

Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record, made landfall in Jamaica on October 28 as a Category 5 hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of up to 295 kilometres per hour. 

The storm struck Jamaica’s western regions, leaving widespread “devastation,” according to government officials, although the capital, Kingston, was spared the worst of the hurricane.

The storm subsequently hit Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane before continuing past the Bahamas on October 29. The US National Hurricane Centre warned that Melissa is expected to pass within 60 kilometres of Bermuda.

The hurricane has produced destructive winds, flooding, and heavy rainfall across the region, including Hispaniola, where both Haiti and the Dominican Republic reported significant flooding. While no deaths have yet been reported in Cuba, the eastern half of the island experienced severe wind damage.

Hundreds of thousands of residents remain without electricity across the Caribbean, including roughly 70 per cent of Jamaica’s customers. Authorities are focused on clearing downed trees and power lines and assessing damage to infrastructure.

United Nations agencies have described preliminary assessments in Jamaica as showing a level of devastation “never seen before,” according to UN Resident Coordinator Dennis Zulu. Meanwhile, the US State Department announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has deployed the US Disaster Assistance Response Team to support relief efforts in Jamaica, Haiti, the Bahamas, and Cuba.

US weather forecaster AccuWeather estimates that the preliminary economic losses from Hurricane Melissa could range between $48 billion and $52 billion.

By Aghakazim Guliyev