Sep 11, 2004

Sporadic shooting has been heard in hurricane-hit Jamaica, as looters rob emergency workers at gunpoint in the near-deserted capital, Kingston.

Hurricane Ivan is now hitting Jamaica with extreme winds and torrential rain, after killing 27 people in other countries across the Caribbean.

Kingston is without power after large trees crashed onto poles, as well as houses.

Authorities have told 500,000 Jamaicans, more than a sixth of the population, to evacuate low-lying areas.

And in the Cayman Islands, west of Jamaica, authorities told have told coastal dwellers to flee battering waves and a 2.4 metre storm surge.