Hurricane Beryl

A powerful hurricane has hit Jamaica with heavy winds and rain, damaging buildings and felling trees on the Caribbean island. Beryl - a category four storm with winds of up to 130mph (215km/h) - struck the island's southern coast. Photos on social media show flooded streets and roofs being blown up. At least seven people have been killed so far as the storm sweeps through the Caribbean.

"It's terrible. Everything's gone. I'm in my house and scared," Amoy Wellington, resident of a rural farming community in the southern St Elizabeth parish, was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency. "It's a disaster." A hurricane warning is in effect in Jamaica, where the authorities have imposed a curfew from 06:00 to 18:00 local time (11:00-23:00 GMT).

 Prime Minister Andrew Holness earlier urged people to "take this hurricane seriously". "If you live in a low-lying area, an area historically prone to flooding and landslide, or if you live on the banks of a river or a gully, I implore you to evacuate to a shelter or to safer ground," he said.

Three people died in Grenada, where it first made landfall on Monday, one in St Vincent and the Grenadines, and another three in northern Venezuela, which was hit by strong winds and flooding. About 90% of homes were destroyed or severely damaged on Union Island, which is part of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

'Almost whole island homeless' in Hurricane Beryl's wake Parts of Jamaica earlier experienced disruption to power and electricity supplies, with the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) saying it was forced to pause restoration of power lines in some locations for the safety of their workers. In a news briefing, the NHC's director, Dr Michael Brennan, said Jamaica would experience "devastating hurricane force winds".

Rainfall in some parts of the country could hit 12in (30cm), potentially leading to flooding and mudslides, the director explained, while life-threatening storm surges as high as 9ft (2.7m) above tide level are also expected. "Everybody in Jamaica needs to be in their safe place and be prepared to stay there for at least the next 12 hours," Dr Brennan warned.