First charter flight for Britons leaving Jamaica to take off on Saturday

The first charter flight carrying British citizens back from Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa is set to take off on Saturday.

The Foreign Office confirmed the flight would leave Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport late on Saturday, carrying British nationals unable to fly home commercially.

Jamaica was left devastated this week by Melissa, one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the island in its history, with 19 people reported dead and thousands still crammed into shelters on Friday.

Around 8,000 British nationals are thought to have been on the island, where popular tourist areas such as Montego Bay have been badly hit.

The Foreign Office has advised British nationals to use commercial flights to leave the country, but has chartered a small number of flights for those unable to do so.

The UK has also announced £7.5 million of humanitarian support, including shelter kits and solar-powered lanterns for those still without power.

Some of the money will also be used to match donations to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent.

Announcing the aid funding, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK was “increasing our funding for humanitarian support to ensure we can get shelter kits, solar lamps and sanitation products to those who need it most”.

Melissa came ashore in Jamaica as a category five hurricane on Tuesday, carrying top winds of 185mph.

The storm also hit nearby Haiti, where it caused catastrophic flooding and killed at least 30 people, according to local authorities.