At least 30 dead as Melissa wreaks havoc

FLOODING from Hurricane Melissa has killed more than two dozen people in Haiti while the storm churned across Cuba yesterday after leaving Jamaica with widespread damage and most homes without power.

- By Ariel Fernandez

Aftermath...search for belongings in Cuba, left, and flooding in Haiti

Jean Bertrand Subreme, mayor of the southern Haitian coastal town of Petit-Goave, said 25 people died after the La Digue river burst its banks and flooded nearby homes.

The death toll is rising, with four confirmed in Jamaica, including a baby hit by a falling tree, and one person killed in the Dominican Republic.

In Haiti, dozens of homes collapsed with people still trapped under the rubble. Mr Subreme pleaded with the government for help to rescue victims. He added: "I am overwhelmed by the situation."