Hurricane Irma: These photos reveal the destruction left in monster storm’s wake

Hurricane Irma continues to churn its way across the northern Caribbean after cutting a path of destruction during its first landfall Wednesday, leaving some islands in near ruins.

The monster Category 5 storm unleashed its fury over the Dutch-French island of Saint Martin, destroying “95 per cent of the island” during its wrath.

LIVE UPDATES: Tracking Hurricane Irma’s path

Photos of the island show levelled homes, flooded streets and piles of boats and shipping containers littering the island’s shoreline.

In Barbuda, nearly 90 per cent of homes suffered damage, leaving nearly half of the country’s 1,800 people homeless, according to Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne.

“I journeyed to Barbuda this afternoon and what I saw was heart-wrenching, absolutely devastating,” the prime minister told local media late Wednesday. “In fact, I believe that on a per capita basis, the extent of the destruction in Barbuda is unprecedented. And it is unprecedented based on the type of storm. Hurricane Irma would have been easily the most powerful hurricane to have stormed through the Caribbean and it is extremely unfortunate that Barbuda was right in its path.”

Speaking with BBC radio, Browne described his island as “total carnage.”

“It was easily one of the most emotionally painful experiences that I have had,” the prime minister said.

READ MORE: At least 10 dead as storm rages through Caribbean, heads closer to Florida

The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted Irma would remain at Category 4 or 5 for the next day or two as it passes just to the north of the Dominican Republic and Haiti on Thursday, nears the Turks & Caicos and parts of the Bahamas by Thursday night and skirts Cuba on Friday night into Saturday.

Here’s a look at some of the devastation left behind in Hurricane Irma’s wake.

-with a file from Reuters