DHAKA: One of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recent years has hit Haiti, bringing 145mph winds, heavy rain and dangerous storm surges.

Hurricane Matthew, a Category Four storm, made landfall at the south-western tip at about 11:00 GMT.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Haiti was “getting everything a major hurricane can throw at them”, reports the BBC.

Reports from the south-western coast spoke of communities under water and buildings stripped of roofs.

Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste, director of the country’s Civil Protection Agency, told the media: “It’s much too early to know how bad things are but we do know there are a lot of houses that have been destroyed or damaged in the south”.

One resident too ill to leave their home was killed when waves struck in the town of Port Salut.

Haiti’s Interim President Jocelerme Privert said earlier that some people at sea or who had not “respected alerts” had died, but he gave no figures.

Haiti is one of the world’s poorest countries and many of its residents live in wooden or corrugated steel shacks in areas prone to flooding.

Matthew is expected to bring up to 40in of rain to some parts as it moves north at about 15km/h.

BDST: 2044 HRS, OCT 04, 2016
RR