Hurricane causes 'considerable' damage in Cuba, heads to Bahamas

Hurricane Melissa swept across Cuba on Wednesday, causing severe flooding and forcing the evacuation of more than 735,000 people, hours after the powerful storm tore through Jamaica.

Videos on social media showed residents wading through nearly knee-deep water in their homes as streets turned into rushing rivers.

"It was a very difficult night. The damage is considerable," Cuba's President Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote on X. "We will start rebuilding as soon as circumstances allow. We are ready."

The Category 3 storm moved inland over south-eastern Santiago de Cuba province after making landfall early Wednesday, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Cuban authorities have yet to report any casualties, and the full extent of the damage to the island of 10 million people was set to emerge as the day progressed.

The hurricane is now heading towards the Bahamas and then Bermuda, currently as a Category 2 storm with sustained wind speeds of up to 155 kilometres per hour.

Melissa hit Cuba after pummelling Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane, packing winds of up to 295 km/h, storm surges and torrential rains.

The Jamaican government declared the island a disaster zone following widespread damage, including to hospitals, bridges and power infrastructure, with more than 530,000 households left without electricity.

Media reports showed flattened homes and flooded streets. No deaths have yet been confirmed and the full extent of the devastation remained unclear, even hours after the hurricane made landfall.

In Haiti, at least 20 people died and at least 10 others were missing when a river flooded its banks due to the storm, civil defence authorities told local media. Three people had already been confirmed dead.