Hurricane Irma hit the island of Sint Maarten around 12:10 p.m. on Wednesday, Dutch time. The hurricane's eye is expected to pass the island between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., NU.nl reports.
According to Weerplaza, the island can expect wind speeds of around 295 kilometers per hour, with even stronger gusts. The hurricane is also accompanied by heavy rains, which can cause flooding problems.
The Red Cross activate its "I'm safe and well" website for the islands of Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba in preparation for Hurricane Irma, which is set to hit the Dutch islands during the course of the morning.
People on the islands of Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba are frantically preparing for Hurricane Irma to hit. The class 5 hurricane is expected to hit the islands that form part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands around noon. Wind speeds of around 295 kilometers per hour, heavy rains and flood waves are expected.
Hurricane Irma is expected to hit the islands of Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba, all part of the Dutch Kingdom, at noon on Wednesday (Netherlands time), according to NU.nl. The hurricane is considered a class five hurricane, the fiercest category on the Saffir-Simmpson scale. With wind speeds of 295 kilometers per hour measured, Irma is in the top 5 of fiercest Atlantic hurricanes, RTL Nieuws reports.
The hurricane will hit Antigua and Barbuda on Wednesday morning. The authorities on the two Caribbean islands called on residents to seek shelter.
Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba are preparing for Hurricane Irma, which is expected to hit the islands on Tuesday night or during the early hours of Wednesday morning. The storm is increasing in strength and is now considered a hurricane of the fourth category, RTL Nieuws reports.
A tourist was killed on Maho Beach on Sint Maarten, the beach located next to the runway of the Princess Juliana airport in Philipsburg. She stood by the fence that separate the beach and runway and was blown away by a departing plane, NOS reports.
The woman hit her head against a concrete block. She was rushed to the hospital, but died of her injuries.
According to 721 News, the victim is a 57-year-old woman from New Zealand. The accident happened around 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
A Dutch police team aimed at fighting corruption in the Caribbean part of the Netherands, is gaining steam. On Monday the team raided a number of properties on Sint Maarten and arrested a 35 year old man. He is suspected of money laundering, forgery and tax evasion, the Volkskrant reports.
Cyclist Bas de Haan was killed in an accident on the Antillean island of Sint Maarten on Tuesday afternoon. He was cycling on his racing bike when he was hit by an SUV. He died in hospital a short time later
The man suspected of murdering Belgian tourist Wendy Montulet, was found dead in his prison cell on Sint Maarten. It seems that he was lynched by other prisoners
The Sint Maarten police arrested a suspect in connection with the murder of 21-year-old Belgian tourist Wendy Montulet on the island this weekend, Advocate General Samuel Finielz announced in a press conference on Wednesday. The man confessed to sexually assaulting the young Belgian woman and then stabbing her to death with a shard of glass
A 21-year-old Belgian tourist was found murdered on Sint Maarten on Sunday. Wendy Montulet's family sounded the alarm when she did not return from a last jog on the Caribbean island. Her body was found in some bushes after an hours long search
Former prime minister of Curacao Gerrit Schotte was found guilty of bribery and ordered to serve three years in prison, a court ruled on Friday. It is equal to the demand made by the prosecutor handling the case.
The Netherlands and Sint Maarten will continue working together on strengthening law enforcement on the island to fight corruption and crime.
Sint Maarten is blocking decisions from the Netherlands to counteract corruption and crime on the island and Dutch officials are no longer welcome on the island.
Sint Maarten Minister Dennis Richardson is heading to the Netherlands next week for emergency talks with Minister Ronald Plasterk of Home Affairs and Minister Ard van der Steur of Security and Justice about the organized crime on the island.
Sint Maarten police officer Gamali Benjamin passed away on Saturday after receiving a gunshot wound to the head while chasing two suspects of a jewelry store robbery.
A Dutchman was arrested in the Dominican Republic carrying 2.5 kilograms of cocaine.
King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Prime Minister Mark Rutte attended the National Remembrance on the Dam in Amsterdam on Monday night. Prime Minister Rutte gave a speech entitled "Passing memories" after the memorial service in the Nieuwe Kerk.
King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Prime Minister Mark Rutte will attend the National Remembrance in Amsterdam on Monday, May 4th. Prime Minister Rutte will also be present at the Liberation Day festival in Vlissingen on Tuesday, May 5th. There he will light the liberation fire as the start of the National Celebration of Liberation, which happens once every 5 years.
Hundreds of KLM travelers were stranded in Sint Maarten for two days while they waited for their flight from Sint Maarten to Curacao and then to Amsterdam.
The VVD and SP believe that if Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten are so dissatisfied with the Netherlands' involvement, it may be better if the kingdom is transformed into a commonwealth.
The corrupt island of Sint Maarten may get even more severe intervention from the Netherlands. The smallest country in the Dutch kingdom refuses to cooperate on measures to address the corrupt governance culture, thus the cooperation may have to be enforced.
The Cabinet has placed a mourning ad in Dutch newspapers this morning, honoring those lost in the tragic MH17 plane crash in Ukraine, and remembering them "with great sadness and the deepest respect." All 298 names of the individuals who perished in the crash are listed.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte refused to receive a visiting parliamentary delegation from St. Maarten on Wednesday, if its independent Member (MP) Patrick Illidge would be present.
