Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic, hit southwestern Jamaica on 28 October as a Category 5 system—the worst hurricane to hit the area since 1988—before crossing into eastern Cuba as a Category 3 the following day.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life off the coast of Mahdia, Tunisia, where a boat carrying 70 migrants capsized shortly after departing the Tunisian village of Salakta. Forty people have died: nine women, 19 men, and 12 children under the age of five.
