More than 15 people are dead and 20 remain missing after Hurricane Maria’s direct hit on Dominica, the prime minister has said.

Roosevelt Skerrit cried as he spoke to a reporter on the nearby island of Antigua.

He said more than 15 people died because of the storm and that it was a miracle that the death toll was not in the hundreds.

Hurricane Maria's likely path(PA graphic)

The centre of the Category 4 storm hit Dominica with massive force late Monday night and early Tuesday, destroying hundreds of homes and cutting off the mountainous island’s communication systems and shutting its airport.

Mr Skerrit said Dominica “is going to need all the help the world has to offer”.