Hurricane Irma is lashing Cuba with strong winds and heavy rain after devastating several Caribbean islands.
The category five storm made landfall on the Camaguey (camagee) Archipelago, off the north‑eastern coast.
In Florida, 5.6 million people, or 25% of the US state's population, have been told to leave as the storm approaches.
At least 20 people are known to have died so far across the Caribbean.
Irma, which strengthened in the last few hours, hit the Camaguey Archipelago this afternoon, threatening nearby coastal towns and villages.
This is the first time a category five hurricane has hit Cuba in decades.
The US National Hurricane Center said that as at 3pm this afternoon, Irma had maximum sustained winds of 257km/h.
The eye of the storm was about 190km east‑southeast of the Cuban fishing town of Caibarien.
Source: BBC
