Up to 40 ‘high risk’ escapees are on the run on the British Virgin Islands after they managed to break free when Hurricane Irma barrelled through with its 185mph winds.
Widespread looting has broken out on the streets of St Martin as people “armed with machetes and guns” have been walking through towns stealing items from shops.
According to Fox Business, looters are robbing residents armed with machetes and guns.
Tourists have reportedly been hiding in their hotel rooms away from the 600 looters running riot.
Troops have been called in from Britain and France to try and restore peace to islands across the Caribbean.
Hungry locals on the islands have even started fighting each other for food and there have been reports of looters raiding hotel rooms to profit from the disaster.
Tourists have broken down in tears as they have been eventually been able to leave the islands devastated by the hurricane.
French and Dutch police have sent extra police to St Martin to hep curb the looting on the island.
Jacques Charbonnier said: “All the food is gone now.
“People are fighting in the streets for what is left.”
Annick Girardin, minister for France’s overseas territories, has urged police to restore order and provide emergency care for victims.
He said: “We need to restore public order to Saint-Martin.
“I was out this morning and this afternoon and there was looting right there in front of my eyes. There is a strange mood at the moment in Saint-Martin, so we need to think about public order.”
Raju Budhrani, 51, said: “The destruction is on a biblical scale.
“It’s how you see it in the movies. It’s actually worse than that.”
The son of the business tycoon Sir Richard Branson has warned of ‘civil unrest’ in the Caribbean.
Hurricane Irma was downgraded to a tropical storm on Monday after it had already caused devastation in the Caribbean and Florida’s west coast.
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Guadeloupe today in the first step of his visit to French Caribbean islands hammered by Hurricane Irma.