FREEPORT, Grand Bahamas - Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham plans to be in Grand Bahama today, assessing the situation after a tornado led to several deaths and caused severe damage when it touched down in Freeport.

The Prime Minister cancelled plans to attend Tyler Perry's premier of Why Did I get Married Too at the Atlantis Resort last night and said he would visit Freeport today.

Grand Bahama had been warned of severe weather yesterday, including thunderstorms, lightning and funnel clouds. Along with heavy rains, the weather included at least one tornado, which damaged six cranes at the Freeport Container Port.

A release from Container Port confirmed that three employees were killed when a crane they were working on crashed into the harbour during the tornado.

Six cranes at the port were damaged. The company said the port will be closed for several days and will operate at a reduced capacity for some time once it reopens.

Chief Executive Officer Gary Gilbert and Director Godfrey Smith expressed deepest sympathies to the families of the three dead men and said they are praying for the recovery of the injured.

“It is our hope that these persons recover fully from their injuries,” said Mr. Smith. We grieve with the families of those who lost their lives today, and as we regret the loss of life of anyone we are deeply saddened by the incident that took the lives of our employees.

Yesterday's severe weather warning was extended to the northern Bahamas in the afternoon but lifted a few hours later.

According to the Met Office the system associated with the severe weather had begun to dissipate, leaving scattered showers and possible thunderstorms until midnight.

Today a cold front is moving southwards over The Bahamas leading to partly sunny weather with a chance of passing showers. The weather is expected to cool tonight to around 70 degrees depending on your island.

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