Hurricane Melissa struck the western part of Jamaica the hardest, leaving widespread destruction, officials said. Black River Hospital on the southwest side of the island has been devastated and several other hospitals suffered damage, Desmond McKenzie, the minister of Local Government and Community Development, said.

Hurricane Melissa is on track to pass through the southeastern islands of the Bahamas, which are sparsely populated compared to the islands in the north of the archipelago. The two islands that are in the storm’s direct path, Crooked Island and Long Island, have a total population of just a few thousand people.

Hurricane Melissa left a trail of destruction as it moved across Jamaica, seen for the first time from space in new satellite images obtained from Vantor.

Hurricane Melissa was set to pummel Jamaica as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, its strongest on record. It could be the island's "storm of the century," world forecasters say.

While a tropical storm warning has been discontinued for Jamaica, the country's government warned of the potential for "further flash flooding and additional landslides" through Wednesday night.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall over eastern Cuba early Wednesday as an "extremely dangerous" Category 3 storm, forecasters said, after pummeling Jamaica.

Jamaicans in the UK have said they are "worried" about their friends and family as Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in the country. Forecasters believe the storm could be the strongest hurricane ever to hit Jamaica,

Cuba was slammed by Hurricane Melissa. See the flood and wind impact in photos.