Hurricane Maria death toll rises to 17

Deadly Hurricane Maria flooded parts of the Dominican Republic and continued to dump heavy rain on the US territory of Puerto Rico after destroying buildings and knocking out power to the entire island.

The second major hurricane to rage through the Caribbean this month, Maria has killed a total of 17 people.

Maria was carrying sustained winds of up to 185 km/h as it moved away from the Dominican Republic on a track that would take it near the Turks and Caicos Islands and the south‑eastern Bahamas.

Maria, which could strengthen somewhat over the coming day or so, was forecast to move north in the Atlantic Ocean over the weekend.