Death toll in the Bahamas expected to be high, hundreds, possibly thousands, are still missing
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The death toll from Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas will be “staggering”, the country’s government has warned as aid efforts are being stepped up.
The official death toll stands at 30 but is expected to rise further. Health Minister Duane Sands warned of “staggering” final count.
“The public needs to prepare for unimaginable information about the death toll and the human suffering,” he told local radio.
A handout picture provided by the British Ministry of Defence (MOD) showing Islanders carrying belongings on Great Abaco, the Bahamas, after Hurricane Dorian hit the Islands. The troops are delivering AID to the island of Great Abaco in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian hit earlier in the week. Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Mounts Bay has delivered essential aid to residents of Great Abaco in The Bahamas. The ship has distributed British Department for International Development (DFID) relief items, including vital shelter kits. A rigid-hulled inflatable boat was deployed from RFA Mounts Bay with a dedicated Humanitarian and Disaster Relief team to join up with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and unload vital aid to some of those who have been worst hit by the category five storm. The ship has been in the Caribbean since June in preparation for the hurricane season and was re-tasked last week to sail to The Bahamas in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian, the strongest ever recorded in The Bahamas. EPA-EFE/LPhot Paul Halliwell / BRITISH MINISTRY OF DEFENCE/HANDOUT MANDATORY CREDIT: MOD/CROWN COPYRIGHT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES
Officials are sending morticians and 200 body bags to the Abaco Islands, the worst-hit part of the archipelago.
Dorian – which devastated the northern Bahamas from Sunday to Tuesday – is now battering the coasts of South and North Carolina in the US but is weakening.
Officials say hundreds, possibly thousands, are still missing in the Abacos and Grand Bahama.
Heavy rains from Hurricane Dorian are battering the coasts of South and North Carolina. The category two storm is moving slowly north along the eastern US seaboard. Thousands of homes are without power.
Forecasters warn that some areas could see dangerous storm surges.
