Report: First Death from Hurricane Dorian Is 8-Year-Old Boy from Bahamas

An eight-year-old boy is the first reported first death from Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, according to two news sources on the island.

The news outlets, Eyewitness News and Bahamas Press, reported that the boy died as the Category 5 hurricane battered the island. Ingrid McIntosh (pictured), the victim’s grandmother, told Eyewitness News that her grandson died on Abaco island and his body was found.

“I just saw my grandson about two days ago,” said McIntosh. “He told me he loved me. He was going back to Abaco, he turned around and said, ‘Grandma, I love you.'”

In a slow, relentless advance, a catastrophic Hurricane Dorian kept pounding at the northern Bahamas early Monday, as one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever recorded left wrecked homes, shredded roofs, tumbled cars and toppled power poles in its wake.

The storm’s top sustained winds decreased slightly to 165 mph as its westward movement slowed, crawling along Grand Bahama island Monday morning at 1 mph in what forecasters said would be a daylong assault. Earlier, Dorian churned over Abaco island with battering winds and surf during Sunday.

Information began emerging from the affected islands, with Bahamas Power and Light saying there is a total blackout in New Providence, the archipelago’s most populous island.

Forecasters said Dorian was most likely to begin pulling away from the Bahamas early Tuesday and curving to the northeast parallel to the U.S. Southeast seaboard. Still, the potent storm was expected to stay close to shore and hammer the coast with dangerous winds and heavy surf, while authorities cautioned that it could still make landfall.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.