Hurricane Maria wreaks devastation in Dominica

POINTE-À-PITRE: Hurricane Maria smashed into the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica on Tuesday, with its prime minister describing devastating damage as winds and rain from the powerful storm also hit territories still reeling from Irma.

As residents hunkered down in their homes the Category Five hurricane made landfall with top winds swirling at 160 miles (257 kilometers) per hour, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.