Jamaican officials announced plans Saturday to set up multiple field hospitals as it recovers from Hurricane Melissa, with the death toll numbering at least 50 across the Caribbean -- and expected to rise.

The island's confirmed deaths remain at 19 as of Saturday, though Health Minister Christopher Tufton told a briefing "I would imagine it's more... because there are still places that we have had difficulties reaching."

Haiti's Civil Protection department meanwhile said at least 31 people have been killed there as a result of the storm.

Melissa tore across Jamaica as a ferocious top-level Category 5 hurricane, the most powerful storm ever recorded on the island, with sustained winds peaking at 185 miles (nearly 300 kilometers) per hour while drenching the country with torrential rain.

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