Tropical storm Erika heads for US after killing 7 on Dominica

At least seven people died when tropical storm Erika hit the Caribbean island of Dominica, media reports said Friday, as the weather system moved west and north towards the United States.

According to dpa, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned people living on the country's southern shores to prepare for the storm, which could make landfall in Florida during Sunday night.

The number of people killed could rise, The Dominican newspaper reported on its website Thursday evening. Authorities fear that up to 20 people were injured or killed in the remote village of Petite Savanne in the south of the island alone.

Erika has caused a lot of damage to the small island nation in the east of the Caribbean, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit told broadcaster CNN, with floods hitting roads and villages.

Source: SPA