Death toll from Hurricane Melissa climbs to 49, with many still missing

Haiti reported the highest fig of deaths pursuing catastrophic flooding from hurricane rains.

Hurricane Melissa has present killed immoderate 49 people, though that fig is expected to emergence arsenic hunt and rescue operations proceed crossed the way of demolition the tempest near successful its aftermath successful the bluish Caribbean.

Authorities successful Haiti connected Thursday reported astatine slightest 30 deaths and 20 missing. The impoverished federation was not straight deed but suffered days of torrential rains from the lumbering storm. Jamaica has reported 19 deaths, according to the Reuters quality agency. The Dominican Republic has reported 1 decease earlier the hurricane made landfall elsewhere.

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Melissa, 1 of the strongest Atlantic storms connected record, made landfall successful Jamaica connected Tuesday arsenic a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of up to 295 kilometres per hr (183 miles per hour). The hurricane did not deed the superior of Kingston, but it slammed into Jamaica’s occidental side, wherever it wrought “devastation”, according to authorities officials.

Melissa aboriginal struck Cuba arsenic a Category 3 hurricane earlier continuing connected a way past the Bahamas connected Wednesday night. It is owed to walk wrong 60km (37 miles) of Bermuda, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

The storm’s unit has been felt crossed the Caribbean, bringing destructive winds, rain, and flooding adjacent arsenic its spot has steadily declined implicit the past week.

Although Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which stock the land of Hispaniola, did not prolong a nonstop hit, they some experienced dense flooding, according to section reports.

People enactment wrong a structure for families displaced by pack violence, flooded by rainfall brought by Hurricane Melissa, successful Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, October 29, 2025 [Odelyn Joseph/AP]

No deaths person been reported yet successful Cuba, though the eastbound fractional of the land was heavy battered by beardown winds, according to Reuters.

Hundreds of thousands of radical stay without powerfulness crossed the Caribbean, including 70 percent of Jamaica’s energy customers, the newswire said.

Regional authorities are moving to cleanable up downed trees and powerfulness lines and measure wide infrastructure damage.

UN agencies accidental they are inactive calculating the harm from Melissa, though preliminary assessments for Jamaica bespeak a level of devastation “never seen before” by the island, according to UN Resident Coordinator Dennis Zulu.

The US State Department announced connected Thursday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has deployed the US Disaster Assistance Response Team to assistance Jamaica, Haiti, the Bahamas, and Cuba.

Expert investigation by US upwind forecaster AccuWeather estimated that “preliminary harm and economical loss” from Melissa could scope from $48-52bn.