Hurricane Cristobal kills 5 in Caribbean

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Cristobal strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane Monday, sweeping through Caribbean and leaving at least five dead.

The third named storm of the season, Hurricane Cristobal moved north and accelerated as it left the Bahamas, and is now expected to turn away from the eastern U.S. It was about 500 miles east of South Florida around noon on Tuesday, heading toward Bermuda.

Meanwhile, the islands began cleanup after rain triggered floods and mudslides across the region.

Two Dominican men and two Haitians died on the island Hispaniola when they were carried away by rising waterways.

And on Providenciales, the main island of Turks and Caicos, the governor's office reported a body was recovered from floodwaters.

The National Hurricane Center at the National Weather Service currently lists Cristobal with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour and moving north at 12 miles per hour.