Hurricane Durian hit the northern Bahamas on Sunday with strong winds of up to 295 kilometers per hour and was considered the most severe in the history of the tourist archipelago. The Prime Minister of the Bahamas announced that his country is facing a hurricane like we have never seen in the history of the region.
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Hurricane "Durian" caused "catastrophic conditions" on Sunday when it hit the north of the Bahamas, accompanied by strong winds with a speed of 295 kilometers per hour, was considered the most severe in the history of the tourist archipelago.
The Category 5 hurricane on a five-scale scale reached Elbow Cay in the Abaco Islands at 16.45 GMT, according to the US National Hurricane Center in Miami, which reported winds of more than 354 kilometers per hour.
The Center warned that "this situation poses a threat to the lives of" the population, calling them "to hide immediately in the shelters."
At a press conference, Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Menes said that his country is facing a hurricane "we have never seen before in the history of the Bahamas", before he sobbed.
Local radio talked about distress calls from residents after the wind uprooted the roof of the hotel "Island Breeze" in the port of Marsh in Abaco.
Many Abaco islands residents reportedly preferred to stay at home despite government warnings.
The US National Hurricane Center previously announced on Sunday that Hurricane Durian reached Category 5 on a scale of five categories, and warned of a "catastrophic" storm will hit the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas.
The center pointed to a "very strong and very dangerous" hurricane, while its director Ken Graham stressed the danger it poses to the Caribbean tourist archipelago. He stressed on Facebook that "the situation is very serious for the Bahamas."