HAVANA — Cuba’s national electrical grid collapsed on Wednesday as Hurricane Rafael slammed into the island’s southwest shore, packing sustained winds of 115 mph and wreaking havoc on the already crisis-stricken country. The hurricane was churning about 60 miles west of Cuba’s capital Havana on Wednesday night, after lashing the capital city of nearly two million people with driving rain and violent wind gusts. The Miami-based National Hurricane Center warned of a “life-threatening storm surge, damaging hurricane-force winds and flash flooding” across much of western Cuba. Cuba’s state-run grid operator UNE said the high winds had caused the country’s electrical system to collapse. Forecasters predict Rafael will spin off towards the western Gulf of Mexico later this week, though the track remains uncertain, the hurricane center said.

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Persons: Rafael, Havana’s Jose, Ydael Pérez Brito, Oscar, Adalbero Roque Organizations: Hurricane Center, Police, Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport, Pinar del, Farmers, Agriculture, Communist, Getty Locations: HAVANA, Cuba’s, Havana, Miami, Cuba, State, Varadero, Cayo Largo, Artemisa, Pinar del Rio, AFP, Venezuela, Russia, Mexico, Cayman Islands, Gulf