Hurricane regains its category five strength

Hurricane Maria has “reintensified” into a category five storm as it sweeps towards British overseas territories already battered by Irma.

The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said the hurricane had regained strength, with sustained winds of up to 160mph, as it approaches the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

Maria had briefly been downgraded to a category four storm after making landfall in Dominica on Monday, but it has since returned to the highest category meaning it could cause “catastrophic damage”. Dominica’s prime minister said the hurricane had wrought “widespread devastation”.

PICTURE; AFP 0 Hurricane Maria batters the city of Petit-bourg on the French overseas territory of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean yesterday