On Friday, many of the evacuations were carried out by private boats and planes, as the Bahamian government awaited the arrival of other transport.
Helicopters and boats had been deployed but could be delayed by severe flooding, the Bahamian Health Ministry said. Around 250 evacuees left Abaco on a boat bound for the Bahamian capital, Nassau.
National Voice of the Bahamas radio reported that another boat with hundreds aboard was on its way.
A further 200 people were evacuated from Abaco on Bahamasair flights. In Grand Bahama, a large cruise ship offering free passage to Florida allowed passengers with permission to enter the US to board.
One survivor, 75-year-old Firstina Swain, told Reuters news agency the “people of Abaco need to get out” because “there are too many bodies”.
What’s happening with evacuations in the Bahamas? On Friday, many of the evacuations were carried out by private boats and planes, as the Bahamian government awaited the arrival of other transport. Helicopters and boats had been deployed but could be delayed by severe flooding, the Bahamian Health Ministry said.
Around 250 evacuees left Abaco on a boat bound for the Bahamian capital, Nassau. National Voice of the Bahamas radio reported that another boat with hundreds aboard was on its way.
A further 200 people were evacuated from Abaco on Bahamasair flights. In Grand Bahama, a large cruise ship offering free passage to Florida allowed passengers with permission to enter the US to board.
One survivor, 75-year-old Firstina Swain, told Reuters news agency the “people of Abaco need to get out” because “there are too many bodies”.
“Nobody can help anybody in Abaco, there’s no place safe, everything is destroyed,” she said.
According to the UN, at least 70,000 Bahamians are in need of immediate humanitarian relief after their homes were destroyed by the hurricane. The islands have a population of about 400,000.
The PM and his government have been criticised for the speed of their response to the humanitarian crisis. Chaotic air traffic control is said to be hampering relief and evacuations operations, the Miami Herald reports.
