Turks and Caicos islands allow Canadians to return to Toronto, says Air Canada

The officials of Turks and Caicos have allowed Air Canada to operate as the first return flight to Toronto is scheduled on Monday afternoon.

Air Canada said around 100 Canadians will now return to their country, reports said.

Hurricane Irma has immensely affected Turks and Caicos islands with some parts being drowned in waist-level water due to flood.

Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick had been quoted saying that the airline was planning to rescue almost 100 people who were stranded there with the help of a chartered plane  but the civil aviation authorities of the islands wouldn't have allowed the passengers to board the flight.

Fitzpatrick added to say that the main airport terminal on the islands was closed following the Hurricane Irma but only the humanitarian flights are allowed to take off.

The Canadians are expected to return to Toronto by Monday evening, the spokesperson said.

Apart from Turks and Caicos islands, the Hurrican Irma has affected Caribbean islands, Cuba, Florida.

Irma has so far killed at least 20 people in the Caribbean, while destroying some of the popular tourist destinations.

Meanwhile, the Hurricane's path has forced the Florida government to warn 5.6 million people, or 25 percent of the state's population to leave before the calamity strike the US state.

This is also the first time in decades that Cuba has been hit by a category five hurricane.

Provinces like Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Sancti Spiritus, Villa Clara and Matanzas have been placed under warnings, BBC reported.

Following the onslaught, the Barbuda Island is said to be barely habitable, while BBC news quoted officials as saying that the French territory of St Martin is almost destroyed.

Irma is said to be the most powerful Atlantic storm in a decade and had wind speeds of 295km/h (185mph).

Following the devastation, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said about 95 percent of the buildings had suffered some damage. 

"The island is literally under water. In fact, I'm of the view that, as it stands now, Barbuda is barely habitable," he was quoted in the media as saying.

The hurricane also destroyed St Martin's airport, the third largest in the Caribbean.

Hurricane Irma hit Florida on Sunday, disrupting normal life in the American state, media reports said.

The storm snapped trees in the area and hit badly lives of 1 million people.

Hurling 130 mph winds, the Category 4 storm made landfall on Cudjoe Key, the National Hurricane Center was quoted as saying in CNN report.

According to reports, more than 1 million homes are currently without fire.

(Reporting by Suman Das)