Three people killed and 174 injured as tornado tears through Havana leaving cars overturned, homes destroyed and city-wide power-cuts
- Tornado tore through the Cuban capital of Havana on Sunday evening
- Three people reported dead and 174 injured in the wake of the storm
- Photos shared on social media show overturned cars and destroyed homes
- Local media reports gusts of wind of more than 62 miles per hour in city
Three people have been killed and more than 170 were injured as a tornado devastated the Cuban capital of Havana on Sunday evening.
Gusts of winds of more than 62mph tore through parts of Havana around 9pm on Sunday, bringing heavy rain and hail.
The storm caused city-wide power-cuts, destroyed buildings and sent cars flying, local media reports.
Damage: A rare and powerful tornado that struck Havana on Sunday evening killed three people and left 174 injured
Destruction: A damaged car flattened by debris from a building is seen in the tornado-hit Luyano neighbourhood in Havana
Cuban firefighters assist the evacuation of a mother and her baby in the tornado-hit Luyano neighborhood in Havana
Cuban firefighters hold babies wrapped in blankets during evacuations early Monday morning
Tornado’s are rare on Cuba, and this was the first twister to hit the capital in decades.
The full magnitude of the damage is not yet known, however photos and video footage posted on social media by Havana residents show the destruction the tornado has left in its wake.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel said early Monday that three people had been killed and 174 injured in the storm, however the number of casualties may rise.
He added that several emergency teams were working hard to restore power to blacked-out areas.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said early Monday that three people had been killed and 172 injured in the storm
Photos shared on social media show overturned and destroyed cars and buildings in Havana
A man inspects a damaged car lying on its side in the tornado-hit Luyano neighborhood in Havana
Photos from the city shows a number of damaged cars and buildings in the wake of the storm
In the city’s Luyano neighborhood storm debris – including parts of a balcony ripped off an old building – blocked the streets, AFP photographers reported.
As emergency sirens blared across the city, firefighters and ambulances rushed about on rescue missions, their flashing lights giving light to blacked out areas.
At the Hijas de Galicia maternity hospital staff were forced to evacuate the building due to storm damage.
The tornado, spawned by a powerful storm that originated in the Gulf of Mexico, hit western Cuba with winds of up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour.
Cubans walk past debris in the tornado-hit Luyano neighbourhood in Havana early on Monday
Cuban police cordon off a street in Havana early on Monday morning as residents survey the damage done by the violent storm
A resident removes debris from his damaged car after a tornado hit several neighborhoods in Havana overnight, disrupting electrical power and damaging buildings and cars
People described the tornado as having ‘the sound of a jet engine,’ and reported feeling changes in the environmental pressure when it arrived, Armando Caymares with the Institute of Meteorology said.
The tornado ‘caught me in the street, in the car with my wife and children,’ actor Luis ‘Panfilo’ Silva wrote on his social media account.
‘I had to dodge fallen trees, flooded areas and strong winds until I managed to get home. We experienced great fear,’ he wrote.