Five dead in Bahamas from Dorian as storm threatens US coast
Officials warn storm is still 'extremely dangerous' as it approaches US mainland
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Five people have been killed by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, the nation's prime minister has revealed, as Donald Trump spent part of the day playing golf.
As the category 4 storm pummelled the Bahamas with 145mph winds, triggering huge damage and massive flooding, the nation’s prime minister said at least five people had been killed.
“We are in the midst of a historic tragedy,” Hubert Minnis told reporters, saying the deaths had occurred on the Abaco Islands, which were where Dorian first made landfall on Sunday.
He said people on nearby Great Bahama island who are in serious distress and that rescue crews would respond once weather conditions permitted them to do so.
“This is the time for us as Bahamians to show our love, our care and our compassion,“ Mr Minnis said at a press conference on Tuesday evening. “Your compassion at this most difficult hour will bring healing and hope to those who are traumatised by this destructive hurricane.”
As officials in the Bahamas urged residents to find flotation devices and use hammers to break out of their attics if they were threatened by the massive flooding, Mr Trump spent part of the day at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. Reports said it was 289th day he has spent at a Trump property and the 227th, he has enjoyed at one of his golf clubs since becoming president.
Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina have all declared states of emergency as Hurricane Dorian approaches the US mainland.
South Carolina's governor Henry McMaster has ordered a mandatory evacuation of the entire coast of the state amid Dorian's threat.
The order, which covers about 830,000 people
Over the weekend, Mr Trump cancelled a trip to Poland to monitor the federal response to the storm, which he has warned could be “one of the largest hurricanes ever”.
If you would like to see how the day's drama played out please read below
Delta Air Lines says a flight from Atlanta to Nassau, Bahamas, was forced to turn back because of high crosswind speeds, according to Reuters
Delta said Flight 337, which had 42 customers on board, took off just before 10am on Monday because forecasts showed crosswinds within limits and Nassau's airport was open. But wind speeds increased while the flight was en route, so it returned to Atlanta
We now know at least five people have been killed in the Bahamas:
According to the Washington Post, the prime minister, Hubert Minnis, said: “The Bahamas is presently at war and being attacked by Hurricane Dorian. And yet, it has no weapon at its disposal to defend itself during such an assault by this enemy."
American Airlines says it has canceled 375 flights up to Wednesday due to Hurricane Dorian, according to the AP.
The Texas-based carrier said flights were cancelled because operations has been suspended at seven airports it flies to in Florida and the Bahamas. It said there could be additional issues and delays throughout the week at other East Coast airports.
Legoland Florida will be closed on Tuesday in anticipation of Dorian, the CNN has reported.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by Hurricane Dorian. The safety of our employees and guests is our number one priority,” the company said.
This is the latest rain forecast for the US southeast US coast:
That's it for our coverage of Hurricane Dorian. Thanks for reading. Hope to see you back on another liveblog soon.
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