Western Jamaica was left in ruins Sunday as communities struggled to recover from Hurricane Melissa, which killed at least 28 people and caused widespread destruction across the island.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness confirmed the new death toll, nine higher than the previous tally of 19, and posted on X late Saturday that "there are additional reports of possible fatalities that are still being verified."
Melissa became the most intense storm to make landfall in 90 years when it barreled into Jamaica last Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane packing winds of 185 miles (300 kilometers) per hour.
It ripped a terrifying path through the Caribbean, leaving at least 31 dead in Haiti, including 10 children who drowned in heavy flooding, and ravaged parts of Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
In Jamaica, devastation was rampant in western parishes including Westmoreland and Saint Elizabeth.
