Six dead in wake of Hurricane as blackouts trigger protests

Residents walk down a street using a phone flashlight during a power outage following the failure of a major power plant in Havana (Ramon Espinosa/AP)

Six people have been confirmed dead in Cuba after Hurricane Oscar made landfall on Sunday, bringing winds and heavy rain before being downgraded to a tropical storm on Monday.

Mass blackouts across the Caribbean nation generated a handful of small protests as the island braced for the fourth night of a massive blackout, with a stern government warning that any unrest would be punished.