25 KILLED IN SOUTHERN HAITI AFTER RIVER OVERFLOW FROM HURRICANE MELISSA. (PHOTO).

 25 killed in southern Haiti after river overflow from Hurricane Melissa, mayor says

At least 25 people have died in southern Haiti after a river overflowed, flooding homes in the coastal town of Petit-Goâve, officials said. Dozens of houses collapsed, and residents were still trapped under rubble as of Wednesday morning, according to Mayor Jean Bertrand Subrème, who appealed for government assistance to help rescue survivors. Only one official from Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency was on site, leaving locals to navigate the floodwaters caused by Hurricane Melissa on their own.

The hurricane has also battered other parts of the Caribbean. In Jamaica, Melissa made landfall on Tuesday with sustained winds of 185 mph, killing at least one person when a tree fell on a baby in the island’s west. Extensive flooding and landslides were reported across southwest and northwest parishes, and over half a million customers lost power. In Cuba, the Category 2 storm brought up to 15 inches of rain in some areas, triggering flooding, roof damage, and blocked mountain roads. Approximately 735,000 people remained in shelters across eastern Cuba. The storm is expected to weaken over Cuba but could remain strong as it moves toward the southeastern and central Bahamas, Haiti, and the Turks and Caicos, producing life-threatening rainfall, storm surges, and widespread disruption.

Melissa has now been linked to at least seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic, with one person still missing. U.S. disaster response teams have been deployed to the region to aid in rescue and relief efforts.