Cuba without power as Hurricane Rafael hits

Hurricane Rafael made landfall in the Artemisa province of western Cuba on Wednesday afternoon as a major Category 3 storm.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) estimated wind speeds to be 115mph (185km/h) on landfall.

Heavy rain and a storm surge also affected many parts of the Caribbean island where at least 70,000 people were told to evacuate.

Strong winds damaged power supplies and cut electricity to the whole island.

Hurricane Rafael has cleared Cuba and will weaken as it tracks north-west in the Gulf of Mexico.

However, heavy rain is likely to continue in western parts of Cuba on Thursday before conditions improve on Friday.