Elsa moves over Florida Straits after battering Cuba

HAVANA: Tropical storm Elsa was moving over the Florida Straits toward the southern US state on Tuesday after battering Cuba with drenching rain and strong winds, but left the Caribbean island without major damage.

The US National Hurricane Centre reported the storm was now making its way towards the west coast of Florida at 19-km per hour with "conditions beginning to deteriorate across" the Florida Keys, the archipelago at the state’s southern tip. Elsa has left a trail of destruction through the Caribbean, claiming at least three lives, and is expected to gain strength after emerging off the coast of western Cuba Monday evening.