SANTO DOMINGO (AFP) — The death toll from Tropical Storm Noel's rampage through the Caribbean rose to at least 59 on Wednesday as torrents of water swept away entire families in the Dominican Republic.

Floods forced people to climb onto their roofs or to perch on trees in affected areas of the Dominican Republic, where at least 41 people were killed and another 38 were reported missing.

In one neighborhood of Santo Domingo, entire houses disappeared under the flood waters.

Noel barreled across the Dominican Republic on Sunday, and slammed Haiti the next day. On Wednesday, Noel's sequels continued to wreak havoc over Hispaniola, the island the two countries share, as the storm moved across Cuba, emerged in the Atlantic Ocean and targeted the Bahamas.
"The situation is still dangerous and the number of deaths could rise," said Luis Luna Palino, who heads the Dominican Republic's National Emergencies Center (CNE).