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Hurricane Ian lashes Cuba as Florida braces for 'major disaster'
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Hurricane Ian lashes Cuba as Florida braces for 'major disaster'

The category three storm brings wind speeds of up to 205km/h as it crosses the west of the island.

Local

Hurricane Ian has made landfall in western Cuba as a category three storm, bringing wind speeds of up to 205km/h (125mph).

Cuban authorities declared emergencies in six areas, with forecasters warning of storm surges on the coast along with flash floods and mudslides.

Tens of thousands of people were told to leave their homes and seek shelter.

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Ian is expected to strengthen en route to Florida, where the governor has warned of a potential "major disaster".

As of 09:00 GMT on Tuesday, the centre of the storm was located about five miles (8km) south of the city of Pinar del Rio in Cuba, moving north at nearly 19km/h, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reports.

It said Cuba could see up to 30cm (12in) of rain from Hurricane Ian. Some 38,000 people were evacuated in the province of Pinar del Rio, according to AFP news agency.