There are now at least 13 people dead after Hurricane Irma charged through northeastern Caribbean islands on Wednesday, according to Fox News‘ latest report.
This current toll comes as three deaths were reported in Puerto Rico as a result of the Category 5 storm.
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One bedridden woman, 79, died after a fall while being transported to a shelter in the country. Another woman in Camuy was electrocuted in her home during the storm, and one man succumbed to injuries after a traffic accident in Canóvanas, Fox News reports, citing a statement from Governor Ricardo Rosselló.
Another person reportedly died as the storm hit Anguilla and at least eight deaths were reported in St. Martin, which have been attributed to a variety of causes.
At least one other death was reported on the island of Barbuda, an area its prime minister, Gaston Browne, described as “literally rubble” and a “horrendous situation” of “total carnage.”
Irma struck Barbuda and other islands on Wednesday, destroying nearly all buildings and leaving it “barely habitable,” Browne says. The area is currently without water, electricity, food or communication systems.
He also urges residents to evacuate to the islands as another hurricane, Jose, is set to follow a similar path to Irma later in the week. If this happens, Browne says people will have virtually “no choice” but to leave the island.
Along with the devastation in Barbuda, officials describe the island of St. Martin as “almost destroyed”. The death toll is expected to rise on both islands and in other regions as the storm moves toward larger areas, including Cuba and the southeastern United States.
