"Alas, the island is not reachable at this point because of the huge damage to the airport and the harbour," Rutte told reporters, though he added there were no reports of deaths on the Dutch side so far. French authorities say at least nine lives have been lost on the French side. A handout grab image made from a video released on September 6, 2017 by RCI.fm shows flooded streets and damage on the French overseas island of Saint-Martin, filmed from a terrace of the Beach Plaza hotel after high winds from Hurricane Irma hit the island.// AFP PHOTOAn aerial photography taken and released by the Dutch department of Defense on September 6, 2017 shows the damage of Hurricane Irma in Philipsburg, on the Dutch Caribbean island of Sint Maarten. // AFP PHOTOThis handout picture released on September 7, 2017, by RCI.fm shows damages on the French overseas island of Saint-Martin, after high winds from Hurricane Irma hit the island. // AFP PHOTO

Source: The Nation Bangkok September 07, 2017 09:45 UTC