Seven people reportedly died even before powerful Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica. The storm is now heading towards Cuba.

According to AFP, even before Melissa slammed into Jamaica, seven deaths had been blamed on the deteriorating conditions. Three deaths were reported in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.

The hurricane was the worst to ever strike Jamaica, hitting land with maximum wind speeds even more potent than most of recent history's most brutal storms, including 2005's Katrina, which ravaged the US city of New Orleans.

Catastrophic winds in Jamaica

The storm took hours to cross over Jamaica, dropping by Tuesday evening to a Category 3 storm from the top-level of 5. But the still-powerful Melissa was set to hit Cuba and later the Bahamas.

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