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Hurricane Tomas kills 7 in Haiti

07 November 2010 04:11 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Haitian officials have reported seven deaths due to Hurricane Tomas, which also caused severe flooding, landslides, structural destruction, and crop damage, APA reports quoting Press TV.

Deaths were reported in Grande Anse, Leogane, Belle Anse, Anglais, and around the city of Jeremie, AFP reported.

Haitian Civil Defense official Philippe Joseph said the southern town of Leogane was completely under water, adding that in parts the water was three meters (10 feet) deep.

"We are going to have more victims because of the floods and mudslides, but we cannot yet reach the communities most affected," he told AFP.

The island’s capital, Port-au-Prince, which is home to approximately 1.3 million earthquake survivors living in tented camps, miraculously escaped the worst of the storm.

Aid workers have fears that the floods could lead to further outbreaks of cholera, especially in the refugee camps. The disease has killed 442 and infected nearly 6,000 over the past three weeks.

Meteorologists are warning of continuous rain in Haiti, as well as in the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and Puerto Rico.

In the Dominican Republic, 8,400 people were evacuated from their homes due to flooding and mudslides caused by Tomas.

Tomas is now heading toward the Turks and Caicos Islands but is expected to lose strength, with winds of around 75mph, on Saturday night.

Earlier last week, the hurricane killed 14 people on the island of Saint Lucia.