At least 15 dead after hurricane

More than 15 people are dead and 20 remain missing after Hurricane Maria’s direct hit on Dominica, the prime minister has said.

Roosevelt Skerrit cried as he spoke to a reporter on the nearby island of Antigua.

He said more than 15 people died because of the storm and that it was a miracle that the death toll was not in the hundreds.

The centre of the Category 4 storm hit Dominica with massive force late on Monday night and early Tuesday.

It destroyed hundreds of homes, cutting off the mountainous island’s communication systems and shutting its airport.