Hurricane Florence lashes Bermuda

HURRICANE Florence knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses in Bermuda but was moving away from the wealthy island yesterday as tourists hunkered down inside resort hotels.

The eye of Florence, the second hurricane of the Atlantic season, was churning northwest of Bermuda. It was spared a direct hit by the eye of the storm, but forecasters said hurricane-force winds extending up to 70 miles from the centre could cause substantial damage.

At least 23,000 homes and businesses were without power in the British island chain of 65,000 permanent residents, according to Bermuda’s electric company.