Bahamas (Caribbean): The country's health minister, Duane Sands, on Wednesday (September 4) said that as many as 20 people lost their lives in the northern Bahamas after Category 5, Hurricane Dorian, caused massive destruction in the area.

According to The Washington Post report, the minister said that 17 people from the Abacos island lost their lives while three deaths were reported in Grand Bahama.

However, the death toll is also expected to increase as rescue and search efforts are underway in various parts of the Bahamas.

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Meanwhile, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres "remains deeply concerned" on the deadly impact for the victims of Hurricane Dorian.

On Wednesday, the UN's relief chief, Mark Lowcock, travelled to the island to meet government leaders to lend a helping hand for a life-saving aid operation.

Speaking to reporters in the UN Headquarters in New York from the devastated Bahamas, Lowcock said that he had told the Bahamian Prime Minister that he would release $1 million "immediately, from the Central Emergency Response Fund, to deal with exactly the set of priorities that he has identified."

In an official statement, the UN chief offered his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

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Guterres further said that the UN was supporting the ongoing Government-led rescue and relief efforts and was contributing assessment teams to join others deploying to the affected areas.

"People who have lost everything urgently need shelter, safe drinking water, food and medicine" Guterres added, calling on donors to provide emergency funds for the humanitarian response and recovery efforts.