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Hurricane Dorian death toll hits 43 but expected to rise

07 September 2019 16:15 (UTC +04:00)

Survivors of Hurricane Dorian are desperate to evacuate after the storm left a path of devastation in the Bahamas, APA reports citing Euronews.

A government spokesperson said 43 people had died but that "this number is expected to grow significantly." More than 6,660 people were listed on the website Dorian People Search Bahamas as of Friday morning.

The UN estimates 70,000 people are in "immediate need of life-saving assistance". The UN World Food Programme is sending storage units, generators and satellite equipment on top of eight metric tonnes of ready-to-eat meals. The Red Cross predicts 45% of homes - nearly 13,000 properties - have been severely damaged or destroyed. Parts of the Bahamas received 89 centimetres of rain leaving vast areas flooded.

Note that Dorian is the most powerful hurricane on record to hit the Bahamas with winds of up to 298km/h. It was a Category 5 hurricane, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity, when it hit the islands last week and stalled in the north of the country for two days before continuing on its path.