Hurricane Matthew death toll rises to 261 in Haiti

The death toll from Hurricane Matthew has risen to at least 261 people in Haiti, according to officials.

The death toll continues to rise, as rescue workers are just now beginning to access coastal and rural areas that had been cut off following hurricane Matthew making landfall on Tuesday. The devastating news was confirmed by Haitian Interior Minister, Francois Anick Joseph.

The death toll had been estimated at 108 early Thursday, however that number quickly swelled after rescue workers accessed the more more remote and coastal areas of the country that had been marooned following the storm.

Related: Hurricane Matthew rolled through eastern Cuba, houses destroyed

The storm made landfall with 145-mph winds, torrential rain and driving storm surge. Initial estimates had indicated that over 2000 homes were affected by flooding, and 80% of the island’s banana crops destroyed, which is the country’s main export.

Matthew, which is being declared the most powerful Atlantic storm in almost a decade, continued on its destructive path affecting other Caribbean Islands such as Cuba and the Bahamas taking its total death toll to least 140 as it heads towards the U.S. East Coast.