Hurricane Irma slammed into the Caribbean islands of Saint-Barthelemy and Saint-Martin on Wednesday, the French weather office said, adding that it had caused major flooding in low-lying areas.

The French government had previously sounded the alarm over thousands of people who had refused to seek shelter on French-run Saint-Barthelemy, also known as St. Barts, and Saint-Martin, an island divided between France and the Netherlands.

Source: AFP