Jamaica battles to recover from Hurricane Melissa as death toll mounts

Ștefania Anghel

Oct. 31 (UPI) -- The death toll from Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean stood at 40 early Friday, with at least 19 killed in Jamaica which took the brunt of the Category 5 storm packing winds of 185 mph and extreme rainfall. Casualty numbers were likely to rise as authorities take stock and regain access to areas cut off by flooding or damage to roads and bridges. Melissa was expected to pass close to Bermuda imminently, injecting extra moisture and heat into a separate, fast moving storm