Hurricane Irene hammers Bahamas islands

Irene is currently a category three storm, with winds of 185km/h (115mph), and is expected to strengthen as it heads toward the US east coast.

Officials said 90% of homes were destroyed in some areas of the remote Acklins and Crooked Islands.

The huge storm has brought flooding and power cuts across the Caribbean.

On the island of Mayaguana, where roughly 250 people live, about 40 homes were damaged, AP reported.

There are also reports of extensive damage on Cat Island, Long Island and Eleuthera, but authorities there have not been able to complete full assessments as conditions were still dangerous.

Irene was swirling about 530 miles (855km) south-west of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, according to the US National Hurricane Center, based in Miami.

By 20:00 local time (00:00 GMT) the eye of the storm was gradually moving away from Abaco Island, in the north-west Bahamas, forecasters said.

Irene's projected path is expected to take it well offshore of the east coast of central and northern Florida later on Thursday and early Friday, according to the NHC.

The hurricane is forecast to approach the coast of North Carolina, where US President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency, on Saturday; Kazinform cites BBC.

To learn more go to www.bbc.co.uk