Seven killed in Bahamas as hurricane Dorian moves towards US coast

NASSAU, BAHAMAS: Hurricane Dorian churned towards the United States on Wednesday after leaving seven dead in the Bahamas, where the prime minister said terrified residents had endured "days of horror" at the hands of the monster storm.

Aerial footage showed scenes of catastrophic damage with hundreds of homes missing roofs, cars submerged or overturned, widespread flooding and boats reduced to matchwood. Harrowing accounts emerged, with one survivor describing how he had watched his wife drown.

Announcing the updated death toll, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis warned the number would rise as he called Dorian "one of the greatest national crises in our country´s history." "Parts of Abaco are decimated. There´s severe flooding, there´s severe damage to homes, businesses, other buildings and infrastructure," he said.

The Pentagon said 5,000 members of the National Guard and 2,700 active-duty troops were ready to help out if needed. Some mandatory evacuations were lifted Tuesday afternoon for parts of southern Florida, while further north, a large swathe of the state´s coast -- as well as that from mid-Georgia to southern North Carolina -- remained under a hurricane warning.