KINGSTON, Jamaica, Nov 11, CMC – The death toll from Hurricane Melissa, which slammed into Jamaica late last month, has climbed to 45, Information Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon announced on Tuesday.
She told the daily news conference that the highest number of casualties from the category 5 storm that hit Jamaica on October 28, came from St Elizabeth where 18 fatalities have been recorded to date, followed by Westmoreland with 15.
She urged Jamaicans to pray for the families of the 45 people killed , saying “45 families are hurting and we pray for those families and ask God to comfort them”.
She said 33 post-mortems have been conducted to date.
Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (OPDEM), Commander Alvin Gayle, said that 15 people have been reported missing.
He said more than 130 buildings have reported some level of damage ranging from partial roof loss to complete collapse. He said an estimated 30,000 households have been displaced as a result of the storm.
(Details in Full News section)
CMC/2025