Hurricane Felix slammed into Nicaragua’s Miskito Coast as a record-breaking Category 5 monster storm today in an area home to thousands of stranded Miskito Indians.

Hurricane Felix, a dangerous Category 5 storm, drove through the Caribbean today toward Central America, where forecasters said it could arrive as a “potentially catastrophic” storm.

Hurricane Felix rapidly strengthened into a dangerous Category 5 storm as it headed through the Caribbean Sea towards Central America, where forecasters said it could make landfall with “potentially catastrophic” effect.

Hurricane Felix gathered strength early today and became a Category 2 storm, the US National Hurricane Center said. It was forecast to pass just north of the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba.

Tropical Storm Felix strengthened into a hurricane today and spun through the Caribbean towards a group of small islands off Venezuela.