Hurricane Melissa tore through the northern Caribbean and was seen picking up speed as it churned across open ocean towards Bermuda on Thursday, leaving a trail of high winds and destruction from Jamaica to Cuba and Haiti in its wake.

People across the Bahamas and nearby Turks and Caicos hunkered down as the passing storm pummelled them with dangerous gusts and rain. Around 515 miles (830 km) northeast of the storm's last position, Bermudans prepared for its approach, expected by the evening.

Authorities across the region, struggling to keep track of the devastation, confirmed at least 25 deaths in Haiti - 10 of them children - and four in Jamaica.

Satellite imagery showed swaths of trees and homes devastated in the hardest-hit areas of Jamaica, sparse remaining greenery defoliated and most structures destroyed.

Over 70 perccent of the customer base in Jamaica was still without power as of Thursday morning, said Energy Minister Daryl Vaz, with power lines felled across the island's roadways.