Hurricane Melissa, which was heading towards Cuba's second-largest city, hit Jamaica a few hours later, becoming the strongest cyclone ever recorded in the Caribbean country.
According to the US National Hurricane Center, Melissa made landfall in the southwestern part of Jamaica with sustained winds of up to 295 km / h.
The southwestern region of St. Elizabeth in Jamaica was left "underwater", and more than 500,000 residents were left without electricity.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness noted that the government did not yet have confirmed data on the number of storm victims. Still, given the storm's strength and the extent of the damage, "it is expected that there may be casualties."
The storm is forecast to turn northeast and head toward Santiago de Cuba, the country's second-largest city.
Local authorities said about 500,000 people had been evacuated to higher ground.
In the Bahamas, Melissa's next target, the government has ordered the evacuation of residents in the southern regions.
