Hurricane Melissa has battered Cuba after devastating Haiti and Jamaica, leaving at least 26 people dead.

In Haiti, 25 people died when a river overflowed in Petit-Goave, destroying homes and trapping residents, while one child was killed in Jamaica.

The storm, once a powerful Category 5 hurricane, weakened to Category 2 as it crossed Cuba, where hundreds of thousands remain in shelters amid widespread flooding and damage, Al-Jazeera has reported.

Jamaican officials declared a national disaster after the hurricane tore through the island, leaving most residents without power and severe destruction in its wake.