Cuba without power as storm hits

Cuba has suffered a nationwide power outage as Hurricane Rafael brings winds of up to 185 km/h (115 mph) to the Caribbean island.

A statement from the country's national energy company said “strong winds caused by major Hurricane Rafael led to the shutdown of the national electricity system” and that emergency protocols had been activated.

The category three hurricane made landfall on Wednesday evening and is expected to bring storm surges, flash floods and mudslides, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

This comes just weeks after millions of people were without power for four days following a blackout caused by problems with the country's dilapidated energy infrastructure. The incident also coincided with Hurricane Oscar, which killed at least six people.

According to the NHC, Rafael made landfall in the western province of Artemisa, near the capital Havana, at around 4:15 p.m. local time (21:15 GMT).

According to local media, more than 70,000 people were evacuated from their homes in advance.

The NHC said the storm would bring heavy rains to western Cuba through Thursday and that storm surges could pose a threat to life.

Rafael is expected to weaken slightly as it passes over the island, but will still be a hurricane as it emerges into the Gulf of Mexico.

Heavy rain is also expected in the Cayman Islands, while a tropical storm warning is in effect in the Florida Keys.

Last month, around 10 million people in Cuba were without electricity after a blackout caused by maintenance problems and a lack of fuel to operate power plants.

This power outage also coincided with Hurricane Oscar, a less severe category one storm that left a trail of destruction along the island's northeast coast.

The eastern province of Guantanamo was hardest hit, where more than 1,000 homes were damaged by heavy rains and strong winds.

British tourist Klara Kszczotek said she was not worried about the impact of Hurricane Rafael.

“I guess we're not really scared because we watch the news and stuff, so I think we're fine right now,” she said.