Hurricane Irma: Eye of Storm Hits Florida Keys

The eye of Hurricane Irma has hit Florida's southern islands as a category four storm, forecasters say, quoted by BBC. 

The storm is lashing the low-lying Keys with winds reaching 130mph (209km/h).

Florida Governor Rick Scott said he was "very concerned" about the state's western Gulf Coast, where the storm is expected to head next.

More than 6.3 million people in Florida were told to evacuate, with warnings of a "life-threatening" storm surge. More than a million homes are without power.

Irma has already devastated parts of the Caribbean with at least 25 deaths.

Extreme winds, around the eye of the hurricane, are expected to last for the next two hours in the Lower Florida Keys area, which includes Key West.

All residents had been ordered to leave. There are reports of storm surges on the coral cay islands, most of which are only a few feet above sea level. Some surges could reach 15ft (4.6m).

One official had warned staying on the islands would be "almost like suicide".

Media reports say a man was killed on Saturday in the Keys when his trucked crashed into a tree as the storm gathered pace.

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