DEVASTATING

Hurricane Dorian Bahamas Death Toll Continues to Climb, PM Calls Aftermath ‘Hour of Darkness’

“This is one of the stark realities we are facing in this hour of darkness,” Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said.

The death toll from Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas is up to 43, but authorities warn that it is expected to rise significantly. Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said that 35 people were known dead on Abaco and eight on Grand Bahama island as of Friday night. “We acknowledge that there are many missing and that the number of deaths is expected to significantly increase,” Minnis told the AP. “This is one of the stark realities we are facing in this hour of darkness.” Bahama Health Minister Duane Sands said that it has been impossible to bulldoze through fallen trees and rubble to reach outlying communities. Many residents report bodies floating in the water and the smell of decomposing corpses permeating destroyed communities. “We have been through this before, but not at this level of devastation,” Sands said. “These are very serious times and very sensitive times.” The U.S. Coast Guard said it has rescued a total of 290 people in the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the storm made landfall in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and skimmed along the eastern coast overnight, heading towards New England and then Nova Scotia this weekend.