Hurricane Irma is now a killer storm, leaving at least eight people dead in the Caribbean as the storm continues on a destructive path on the way to Florida.
Irma has so far battered Barbuda, St. Martin and the British Virgin Islands, according to reports.
Exactly where in Florida Irma would hit was still not known, according to the National Hurricane Center’s advisory at 5 a.m. Thursday.
Forecasters reported that sustained winds remained at 180 mph, with higher gusts. The storm was located 210 miles east-southeast of Grand Turk Island, moving at 17 mph.
Hurricane warnings have been issued for parts of the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Hurricane Irma has killed at least eight people and injured 23 in French Caribbean island territories, according to The Associated Press.
French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said the death toll in Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthelemy could be higher because rescue teams have yet to finish their inspection of the islands.
“The reconnaissance will really start at daybreak,” Collomb said.
(Source: The Charlotte Observer)