Newsdeck
Hurricane Irma hits St Barts, St Martin islands: weather office
Hurricane Irma slammed into the Caribbean islands of Saint-Barthelemy and Saint-Martin on Wednesday, the French weather office said, adding that it had caused major flooding in low-lying areas.
Coastlines are being “battered extremely violently” by the sea, it said, adding: “These islands are suffering major impacts.”
The French government had previously sounded the alarm over thousands of people who had refused to seek shelter on French-run Saint-Barthelemy, also known as St. Barts, and Saint-Martin, an island divided between France and the Netherlands.
