At least 25 people are reported to have died as the latest hurricane of the season smashes its way across the Caribbean region.
Hurricane Ivan is being held responsible for 20 deaths on the island of Grenada, which the BBC News website describes as “90 per cent devastated”.
The hurricane, which many reports are describing as the worst in 10 years, now appears likely to hit Jamaica on Friday and Cuba on Saturday.
The BBC reports that in Jamaica, schools have been closed down, while hundreds of oil workers in the Gulf of Mexico have been evacuated amid fears that the hurricane will damage offshore oil installations.
Authorities in the US state of Florida are also keeping a close eye on Ivan’s progress – it seems likely that the hurricane will become the third major storm to hit the “Sunshine State” this summer.
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd
