Bahamas fear ‘staggering’ death toll

Bahamas emergency services have listed 2,500 people as missing after Hurricane Dorian struck the islands two weeks ago.

This official count suggests the final death toll will be in the hundreds, though the number of missing has yet to be checked against those in shelters. Tens of thousands of people remain in need of aid.

Dorian equalled the highest winds ever recorded for a hurricane at landfall when it struck the Abaco Islands. Large areas were devastated on the Abacos and on Grand Bahama.

Bahamas officials concede the death toll could be "staggering". Aid and government officials say about 5,000 people have been evacuated from the two hardest hit island groups. Some 6,000 to 7,000 remain, according to a report by the UN World Food Programme. Over 76,000 people have been affected. Hundreds of people are being housed in temporary shelters in the capital, Nassau.

Emergency workers plan to build two tent cities around Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island. The town was devastated by the hurricane, which flattened shanty towns known as the Mudd and Pigeon Peas.

Some residents have complained that aid has been too slow to arrive, but the Bahamas government has defended its operations and denied covering up the true death toll.