Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica

Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in Jamaica with full force as a Category 5 storm, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said on Tuesday.

With sustained winds of 295 kilometres per hour (km/h), Melissa struck the south-west coast of the Caribbean nation near the town of New Hope, according to the NHC.

It is among the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic. The situation is described as extremely dangerous and life-threatening.

The Red Cross warned that the storm's impact could potentially be "unprecedented" for the nation of 2.8 million people. Storm surges, flooding and landslides are expected.

The hurricane center had earlier warned of catastrophic winds, which could be up to 30% stronger in higher mountain regions. Buildings near the eye of the storm could be completely destroyed, it said.