PORT-AU-PRINCE/KINGSTON/HAVANA (Reuters) -Hurricane Melissa smashed through the northern Caribbean and was seen picking up speed as it churned across open ocean towards Bermuda on Thursday, leaving a trail of high winds and destruction from Jamaica to Cuba and Haiti in its wake.

People across the Bahamas and nearby Turks and Caicos hunkered down as the passing storm pummelled them with dangerous gusts and rain. Around 700 miles (1,100 km) northeast of the storm’s last position, Bermudans prepared for its approach, expected by the evening.

Authorities across the region, struggling to keep track of the devastation, confirmed 25 deaths in Haiti – 10 of them children – and four in Jamaica.

As of 0900 GMT, Melissa was packing winds of close to 105 miles per hour (165 kph), according to the U

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