Rescue workers in Haiti are struggling to reach parts of the country cut off by the most powerful Caribbean hurricane in nearly a decade.
The destruction wrought by Hurricane Matthew has forced Haiti’s presidential election this weekend to be postponed, officials say.
Thousands have been displaced and at least 10 people have died.
The US states of Florida and South Carolina are bracing for the storm, which is nearing the Bahamas.
All air and sea traffic has been halted on the islands and people have been urged to move to higher ground.
Matthew battered a remote area of Haiti – one of the world’s poorest countries, with many residents living in flimsy housing in flood-prone areas – with winds of up to 230km/h (145mph) on Tuesday.
Officials said they were not yet in a position to gauge the true extent of the damage – particularly in the Grand Anse area on the southern tip of the island, which was directly in the storm’s path.
A key bridge has been destroyed, roads are impassable and phone communications are down, officials said.
We only began to see the real destructive force of Hurricane Matthew once we moved towards the south-west of the country.
Trees fallen, banana crops uprooted and flattened, houses under water and men and women trying to get the debris out of the way.
It was noticeable how the people we passed were coping alone. There were no army or police around to help. Even the aid agencies are struggling to move around this damaged corner of the country.
– bbcnews
