Hurricane Rafael began lashing Cuba’s south shore as a Category 3 cyclone, according to the United States National Weather Service, packing sustained winds of 185km/h (115mph), as the Cuban government announced a nationwide blackout.
The hurricane was located about 135km (85 miles) south of Cuba’s capital Havana at 1pm, and just to the east of Cuba’s Isle of Youth, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Wednesday.
