Hurricane Irma pummels Turks and Caicos islands

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionThe storm left a trail of destruction in Saint-Martin

Hurricane Irma has pummelled the Turks and Caicos Islands after leaving a trail of destruction across the Caribbean, killing at least 14 people.

Howling winds and rough seas battered the British overseas territory, experiencing a top-rated category five hurricane for the first time.

Some 500,000 people were told to leave south Florida with Irma due on Sunday.

The hurricane has been downgraded to a category four, but officials warn that it remains "extremely dangerous".

The US National Weather Service says that Irma was expected to bring wind speeds of around 165mph (270km/h) over the weekend.

• 'Everything stopped' - Irma survivors An estimated 1.2 million people have been affected by Irma and that could rise sharply to 26 million, the Red Cross says.
  There are concerns that disease could spread rapidly in areas where drinking water and sanitation services have broken down, and officials have warned that the death toll is likely to rise.

  Where is Irma - and where next?

  Irma has passed through Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Islands and is projected to move towards Cuba and the Bahamas.
  The worst of the storm is expected to hit east and central Cuba, with the eye of the storm predicted to pass between the north coast of Cuba and the Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
  About 50,000 tourists are fleeing or have fled Cuba, with resorts on the north coast now empty, Reuters reports.

  

  A huge evacuation of south-eastern low-lying coastal areas in the Bahamas has been ordered. The tourism ministry said in a video statement that thousands of tourists left before the storm's arrival.
  Hurricane Irma is expected to hit the US state of Florida at the weekend, with the head of the US emergency agency predicting a "truly devastating" impact.
  South Florida "may be uninhabitable for weeks or months" because of the storm, the National Weather Service said.
  • The areas most at risk
  • In pictures: Irma ravages Caribbean
  • Hurricane Irma: A visual guide

  

  Media captionBefore and after: Stills and footage show Saint-Martin then and now

  On the archipelago of Turks and Caicos, with its population of about 35,000, one witness described a drop in pressure that could be felt in people's chests.
  Irma ripped off roofs on the main island, Grand Turk, flooded streets, snapped utility poles and caused a widespread black-out.
  Governor John Freeman told the BBC that people in low-lying areas were evacuated and sent to shelters. The islands' highest point is only 50m (163ft).
  Virginia Clerveaux, director of the Turks and Caicos Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies, warned that even inland areas could be inundated by the storm surge.
  "We are expecting inundation from both rainfall as well as storm surge. And we may not be able to come rescue [residents] in a timely manner."
  • The worst Atlantic hurricanes
  • Irma myths debunked

  

  Media captionAerial footage from the Dutch ministry of defence revealed the extent of the devastation in Saint-Martin

  Irma also caused some damage to roofs, flooding and power outages to the northern parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
  In Cuba, thousands of tourists from coastal resorts in the exposed part of the island have been evacuated.