Hurricane Oscar adds to Cuba crisis after massive power cut

Hurricane Oscar has dumped heavy rain across the eastern end of Cuba, adding to a list of woes besetting the Caribbean's biggest island, which was hit at the weekend by a massive power cut.

- Ruaridh Nicoll

The deluge caused landslides, and winds of 75mph tore the roofs off houses, making work even more difficult for the engineers trying to get Cuba's electricity grid up and running after a weekend when the entire nation of about 10 million people was plunged into darkness. "The winds have been very high," said a resident of the eastern city of Baracoa. "The sea is very dangerous and tiles have been ripped from the roof." As Hurricane Oscar was reduced to a tropical storm and began to turn north towards the Bahamas yesterday, the focus returned to the collapse of Cuba's electrical grid, caused by antiquated power stations.