In Haiti, 25 people died after the La Digue river burst its banks and flooded into nearby homes, causing many to collapse in the coastal town of Petit-Goâve, Mayor Jean Bertrand Subrème confirmed to the Associated Press. He noted that there were still several people who were trapped as of Wednesday, Oct. 29.

At least 20 people are dead in Haiti and another dozen are missing after a river in the town of Petit-Goâve, southwest of Port-au-Prince, flooded as Hurricane Melissa bombarded the country with heavy rain as it battered nearby Jamaica as a powerful Category 5 storm.

Six people have been convicted on charges related to the assassination and 51 are awaiting trial in Haiti and another five in Miami.

Hurricane Melissa has left dozens dead across the Caribbean, affecting a sister church of Dyersville's Basilica of St. Francis Xavier.

After a two-year absence, Haiti is returning to the Miss Universe competition, represented by Haitian-American beauty queen Melissa Queenie Sapini, who hopes to bring global visibility to her country with her message: “When Haiti rises,