DHAKA: Hurricane Gonzalo has hit Bermuda with winds of about 185km/h (115mph), CNN reports. 

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned of high winds and "life-threatening storm surge" the after the eye of the hurricane passed the British Atlantic territory.

Eighty per cent of the island chain has lost power because of the hurricane, Reuters quotes Bermuda Electric Light Company as saying.

Bermuda, an affluent insurance hub, frequently sees strong tropical storms.

"I wish everyone all the best for the next 24 hours. Good luck and look after each other," Governor George Ferguson said in an emergency broadcast ahead of Hurricane Gonzalo's arrival.

The Miami-based NHC said that although the category 3 storm had weakened from earlier wind speeds of 205km/h (125mph), it was still expected to be a dangerous hurricane as it passed over Bermuda.

Resident Hartley Watlington told the BBC: "We were attacked from all three sides. I am staying in my sister's house. It is a traditional house so we have had to board all the windows up with wood and screws.

BDST: 0954 HRS, OCT 18, 2014