Jamaica Death toll continues to rise after hurricane disaster in the Caribbean
The devastating hurricane "Melissa" has killed even more people in the Caribbean than previously known. In Jamaica alone, there are now 28 confirmed deaths, according to government figures.
02.11.2025, 03:45
SDA
There are also reports of other possible victims that still need to be verified. This means that the hurricane, which ravaged several island states in the Caribbean last week, has claimed the lives of at least 59 people.
Tourists are stranded
Several days after the passage of the hurricane, thousands of tourists are still stranded in Jamaica. Although the first commercial flights were scheduled to take off from the country's largest airport in Montego Bay on Saturday, most of them were canceled - including a Condor flight to Frankfurt, on which 150 passengers wanted to leave the country.
"Melissa" hit Jamaica on Tuesday (local time) with wind speeds of up to 295 kilometers per hour. The hurricane was one of the strongest hurricanes in the Atlantic since records began. The powerful gusts collapsed houses, knocked down trees and electricity pylons, and caused flooding and landslides due to the heavy rain. At least 30 people lost their lives in Haiti and one was killed in the neighboring Dominican Republic.
The World Food Program (WFP) has delivered 5,000 food parcels to Jamaica, enough to feed around 15,000 people for a week. However, entire areas are still cut off from the outside world. Fallen trees and poles are still blocking access routes for aid shipments. In the particularly hard-hit areas in the southwest of Jamaica, people are having great difficulty accessing food and water.
Agricultural production has been severely affected
In addition, a large part of the harvest was destroyed by the hurricane. "Melissa" swept over regions that are of central importance for agriculture, as Agriculture Minister Flyod Green told the newspaper "The Gleaner". Fields have been destroyed, the markets are empty - this means not only a lack of food for the islanders but also problems for exports: almost all of the country's sweet potatoes, Jamaica's most important agricultural export, are grown in the affected region.
There is no electricity to refrigerate food
Health Minister Christopher Tufton warned of health risks from spoiled food and contaminated water. "I know it's a difficult time and I know food is precious, but it can be dangerous to consume contaminated food," he said at a press conference. The problem behind this: In many places, people have no electricity to refrigerate their food.
