Cuba, September 11, 2017 – Havana – At least 10 people were killed as Hurricane Irma ripped through Cuba over the weekend, the country’s civil defence organisation said Monday.
“The unfortunate loss of 10 human lives has been reported so far, in several parts of the island, including Havana,” the agency said in a statement.
The civil defence said the causes of the deaths ranged from electrocution to drowning, building collapse and a balcony falling on a bus. Some of the victims had ignored instructions to evacuate, it said.
Irma hammered Cuba with winds up to 150 kilometres (93 miles) per hour in Havana, with an unprecedented storm surge swamping parts of the capital and leaving many people waist-deep in water.
Authorities said they evacuated more than a million people overall as a precaution.
